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Vocabulary Words

Published by marco on

Updated by marco on

This is a running list of vocabulary words I’ve encountered in my reading over the last several years. I use the vocabulary-list feature on my Kindle to collect words, then export them from the Sqlite database with a simple SQL. From there, I have a text file with words that I combine with my existing list, deduplicate and then re-apply formatting to generate the text below.

I will occasionally update this list.

Where a word (e.g. “reef”) has a common definition, I’ve left it off, preferring to include the more-unusual or rarer definition or definitions.
  1. Word – Definition
  2. a fortiori – For a still stronger reason; all the more
  3. a-signifying – Incidentally meaningful semiotics; effective but not directly connected to intent, meaning or significance (e.g. purchase-history–based recommendations)
  4. abdominous – Pot-bellied
  5. abiogenesis – The development of living organisms from nonliving matter. (the original definition included “supposed” before “development”, but it must have happened at least once or I’d not be writing this)
  6. abjure – To renounce or retract, esp. formally, solemnly, or under oath
  7. ablative – Related to removal through melting or evaporation
  8. abnegation – Self-denial; renunciation of your own interests in favor of the interests of others
  9. abrogation – To abolish or annul, esp. by an authority
  10. absquatulate – To depart in a hurry; abscond
  11. abstruse – Difficult to understand; obscure
  12. accidie – Spiritual sloth; apathy; indifference
  13. acedia – Spiritual torpor and apathy; ennui.
  14. acidulous – Slightly acrid in taste or manner
  15. acnestis – On an animal, the point of the back that lies between the shoulders and the lower back, which cannot be reached to be scratched
  16. acrostic – Poem or text where the first letters of each line form a message
  17. adamant(n): Extremely hard substance
  18. adduce – To cite as an example or means of proof in an argument
  19. adenoidal – Nasal in tone
  20. adiabatic – Occurring without gain or loss of heat
  21. adjunct – Added or connected in a subordinate or auxiliary capacity
  22. adjuvant – A treatment that enhances an existing medical regimen, as a pharmacological agent added to a drug to increase or aid its effect.
  23. adumbrate – To give a sketchy outline
  24. advesperate – To approach evening
  25. aerostat – A lighter-than-air vehicle, like a balloon or dirigible
  26. aerumnous – Full of trouble
  27. aesculapian – Related to the art of medicine
  28. aesthete – A person who is unusually sensitive to beauty in art or nature
  29. aetiology – The philosophy or study of causation; variant of etiology
  30. affiant – One who makes an affidavit.
  31. afflatus – A strong creative impulse, especially as a result of divine inspiration.
  32. affray – A riot; a large group fighting
  33. aftosa – Another name for foot-and-mouth disease.
  34. aga – leader (civil or military) in the Ottoman empire
  35. agitprop – subversive writing; see samizdat
  36. agnatology – the study of culturally-induced ignorance
  37. agonistic – Argumentative; striving for effect; strained
  38. aiguillette – An ornamental cord worn on the shoulder of a military uniform
  39. ailurophobia – Extreme or irrational fear of cats.
  40. akinesia – Loss of normal motor function, resulting in impaired muscle movement
  41. akrasia – Weakness of will; acting contrary to one’s moral values
  42. Albion – Britain or England
  43. aleatory – Dependent on chance
  44. alee – On the leeward side
  45. alembic – Distilling apparatus consisting of two vessels and a tube
  46. aliform – Shaped like a wing; alar
  47. alkahest – The hypothetical universal solvent once sought by alchemists.
  48. amanuensis – An assistant
  49. ambuscade – An ambush
  50. amethyst – Purple or violet quartz
  51. amphisbaena – Mythical Greek ant-eating serpent with a head at each end
  52. anaclitic – Psychologically dependent on others
  53. anacoenosis – An appeal by the speaker to his opponents or to the audience for an opinion of the point
  54. anadem – A wreath or garland for the head.
  55. analysand – A person who is being psychoanalyzed
  56. anamnesis – 1. A recalling to memory; recollection; 2. the case history of a patient
  57. anastomosis – Connection of parts of a branching system to form a network (e.g. blood vessels or rivers)
  58. ancho – A dried poblano pepper.
  59. andirons – A pair of metal supports used for holding up logs in a fireplace
  60. anfract – [definition unknown] (from Umberto Eco, The Island of the Day Before (“[…] following its rifts and anfracts, past corridors of chalk in which vinous harlequins were stuck”)
  61. anhedonia – Inability to express pleasure
  62. anile – unable to think clearly or infirm because of old age
  63. anisotropic – Having properties that differ based on the direction of measurement (e.g. oval)
  64. anodyne – Uncontentious or inoffensive
  65. anoesis – Absence of thought (anoetic)
  66. anorak – A socially inept person with a hobby considered by most people to be boring
  67. anorectic – Marked by loss of appetite (anorexic)
  68. anserine – Goose-like
  69. anterior – Before or in front of; previously
  70. anthroponymy – The study of the names of human beings (syn: anthroponomastics)
  71. antimacassar – A protective and often decorative covering for the back or arms of a chair or sofa.
  72. antinomian – One who denies the fixed meaning or universal applicability of moral law
  73. antinomy – A contradiction between two beliefs or conclusions that are in themselves reasonable; a paradox
  74. antipodes – Group of rocky island near New Zealand, almost directly opposite Greenwich, England
  75. aperçus – A discerning perception; an insight.
  76. apodictic – Logically certain; demonstrably true or false
  77. apophasis – Allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned, as in I will not bring up my opponent’s questionable financial dealings
  78. apophatic – Of or relating to the belief that God can only be described by a process of negation
  79. apophenia – The tendency to perceive connections and meaning between unrelated things; confirmation bias
  80. aporetic – A doubt, real or professed, about what to do or say
  81. aporia – An insoluble contradiction or paradox in a text’s meanings.
  82. Aposematic – Having bright, colorful markings that warn predators of poison; a doubt, real or professed, about what to do or say
  83. apostasy – Abandonment of one’s religious faith, party or a cause
  84. apothegm – A maxim
  85. apotheosis – Deification; exaltation to divine rank (nirvana)
  86. apotropaic – Intended to ward off evil
  87. appanage – Provision (usually land) granted (usually to a family member) as a source of revenue
  88. apperception – Conscious perception with full awareness
  89. apposite – Appropriate or relevant
  90. approbation – Official approval
  91. appurtenance – 1. appendage; 2. gear
  92. arbalest – Crossbow-like missile launcher
  93. architrave – The lintel or beam lying across two columns
  94. arcology – A portmanteau of architecture” and “ecology”, a very densely populated habitat (page 231 of Reamde)
  95. arhat – One who has attained enlightenment.
  96. armamentarium – The complete range of materials available or used for a task
  97. armet – A late-medieval light helmet with a neck guard and movable visor
  98. armillary – Of or relating to the arm (e.g. bracelets)
  99. arquebus – A portable, long-barrelled gun, predecessor to the rifle
  100. arrant – Utter; out-and-out
  101. arras – A tapestry, wall hanging or curtain (usually Flemish)
  102. arreptitious – Snatched away; seized or possessed, as a demoniac; raving; mad; crack-brained
  103. artilect – A machine or robot possessing artificial intelligence
  104. asafetida – A plant common to Iran and Afghanistan; produces a brownish, strong-smelling resin
  105. askesis – The exercise of rigorous self-discipline, especially mental self-discipline practiced as a means to spiritual growth.
  106. aspirate – To draw in or remove by inhalation or suction, esp to suck (air or fluid) from a body cavity or to inhale (fluid) into the lungs after vomiting
  107. asseveration – A positive and emphatic declaration
  108. assignation – A tryst
  109. astragal – A molding that covers a gap (usually to prevent airflow)
  110. ataraxia – A calm of mind; serenity
  111. ataxic – Loss of the ability to coordinate muscle movement (Lucky Jim)
  112. Ativan – Tranquilizer; trade name for lorazepam
  113. atrabilious – Melancholy; peevish; surly
  114. attenuate – To become slender, fine or small
  115. auscultate – To listen to sounds produced by the body (e.g. heartbeat)
  116. autarky – Quality of being self-sufficient, as in a state or economy
  117. autoclave – A heavy vessel for sterilizing or cooking by means of steam under pressure.
  118. autochthonous – Local; native; indigenous
  119. autolatrous – Self-worshiping
  120. autopoiesis – A closed system capable of creating itself
  121. autotelic – Having a purpose in and justifying itself
  122. avariciously – Greedily, immoderately so
  123. aventurine – A form of quartz; green; translucent with a shimmering or glistening effect
  124. avulsion – The forcible tearing away of a body part; change in landscape due to flooding or riverbed changes
  125. baize – Coarse woolen cloth (used e,g, to cover snooker or billiard tables)
  126. balanitis – Inflammation of the glans penis, usually due to infection
  127. balatron – Jester or buffoon
  128. balboa – The official currency of Panama
  129. baldachin – A canopy of state over an altar or throne
  130. ballista – Medieval field weapon similar to a crossbow (heavy projectiles)
  131. basque – A woman’s close-fitting bodice.
  132. bast – The phloem of a plant (bast fiber)
  133. bastinado – A beating on the soles of the feet
  134. Batavia – A former name for Jakarta
  135. bathetic – Portmanteau of bathos and pathetic (anticlimactic, banal, trite)
  136. bathypelagic – Relating to or inhabiting the layer of the water column of the open ocean that lies between the mesopelagic and abyssopelagic layers at depths of about 1,000 to 4,000 meters
  137. batrachian – An amphibian, esp. a frog or a salamander
  138. battement – 1. In dance, a kicking movement done with a lifted leg. 2. A beating; striking; impulse.
  139. baulk – Line from which croquet, snooker, billiard ball is put into play (or the area behind it)
  140. beadle – Church usher
  141. beignet – A square doughnut without a hole; a fritter
  142. beldam – A hag (also written as beldame)
  143. belie – To misrepresent
  144. benedicence – Benevolence in speech
  145. benthic – Of or pertaining to the bottom of a body of water
  146. besom – Twigs tied to a handle to make a broom
  147. bezique – A card game for two or more players with tricks similar to whist (or pinochle) but with additional points scored for honours and sequences: played with two packs with nothing below a seven
  148. bezoar – hard, indigestible mass of food in the stomach or intestines
  149. bibelot – A small decorative object; a trinket
  150. bidonville – A shantytown on the outskirts of a city, especially in France or North Africa.
  151. bight – A loop in a rope; a wide bay characterized by a bend or curve
  152. bilious – Peevish; ill-humored
  153. biretta – Square hat worn by ecclesiastics, with three or four ridges on the brow
  154. bitts – A post on the deck of a ship to which ropes or cables are secured
  155. blackleg – 1. A livestock or plant disease, usually fatal. 2. A cardsharp
  156. blench – To draw back or shy away, as from fear; flinch
  157. bloater – A large mackerel or herring, salted, smoked and dried
  158. bodkin – A long needle or awl; a dagger or stiletto
  159. boffin – A person who has extensive skill or knowledge in a particular field (Brit.; similar to wonk in Amer.)
  160. bolster – A long, narrow pillow or cushion
  161. bombilate – To make a certain noise or sound. To buzz.
  162. boracic – Having no money; Brit. slang
  163. borage – Southern European bristly herb with blue or purplish, star-shaped flowers
  164. bothy – Small hut or cottage (Scot.)
  165. bourg – 1. A market town. 2. A medieval village, especially one situated near a castle.
  166. boustrophedonic – A script that is simultaneously left-to-right and right-to-left
  167. bowdlerize – To expurgate literary material; to censor
  168. boyar – A member of the nobility of Russia, before Peter the Great
  169. bract – A leaflike or scalelike plant part, usually small, sometimes showy or brightly colored, and located just below a flower, a flower stalk, or an inflorescence
  170. bradycardia – Slowness of the heart rate (usually less than 60BPM)
  171. brassica – Genus that includes cabbage, swede, rape and mustard
  172. breechclout – A loincloth
  173. breezeway – An enclosure joining two parts of a building (e.g. a house and its garage)
  174. brigandine – Flexible body armor covered in cloth
  175. bromidrosis – Body odor
  176. bruit – A din or clamor
  177. brume – Fog or mist
  178. burgeon – To begin to grow or blossom (to put forth buds)
  179. burgoo – Any of several thick stews, originally an oatmeal porridge.
  180. burbot – A freshwater food fish (Lota lota) of northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere, closely related to and resembling the cod and having a long barbel on the chin. Also called cusk, eelpout.
  181. buskin – A thick-soled laced half boot worn by actors of Greek and Roman tragedies
  182. buttonholer – Someone who accosts or detains (a person) in conversation
  183. cabochon – A highly polished, convex-cut, unfaceted gem
  184. cabotage – Law or policy protecting transporters of passengers and goods within a country from competition from foreign carriers.
  185. cachalot – Sperm whale
  186. cadastral – A public register showing details of ownership of the real property in a district, including boundaries and tax assessments
  187. caduceus – A herald’s wand or staff (usually refers to the two serpents logo of Hermes’s staff used by the medical profession)
  188. caecotrophs – Animals that are coprophagous (eat their own excrement)
  189. cafard – A feeling of severe depression (from the French, literally hypocrite, cockroach)
  190. caique – A long narrow rowboat traditionally used on the Bosporus.
  191. caisson – A watertight structure for performing work or repairs under water
  192. caitiff – A despicable coward; a wretch
  193. caleche – A light two- or four-wheeled horse-draw carriage
  194. calenture – A tropical fever thought to be caused by heat; similar to sunstroke
  195. caliche – A mineral deposit of gravel, sand, and nitrates
  196. caliginous – Dark, misty and gloomy
  197. calk – 1. A spiked plate that is fixed on the bottom of a shoe to prevent slipping and preserve the sole.; 2. A pointed extension on the toe or heels of a horseshoe, designed to prevent slipping.
  198. callipygian – Relating to or having buttocks that are considered beautifully proportioned
  199. callow – Immature
  200. calque – To make a loan translation from (a word in another language)
  201. caltrop – Metal spikes thrown across a road
  202. calvados – A French brandy made from apples.
  203. canaille – The common people; the masses; the hoi polloi
  204. candlewick – A fabric resembling chenille, made with closely-spaced tufts of cotton and used primarily for bedspreads and robes
  205. canebrake – A piece of ground covered with a dense growth of canes
  206. canescent – Turning white or grayish; becoming hoary
  207. cannula – A tube inserted into a body cavity (e.g. a nose tube)
  208. cantrip – A deceptive move; a sham
  209. caoutchouc – Untreated rubber
  210. caparison – Fancy dress or ornamentation for a man or horse (or to make fancy by decorating in this way)
  211. capercaillie – A large grouse (Tetrao urogallus), native to northern Europe and having dark plumage and a fanlike tail. Also called wood grouse.
  212. capsid – A virus’s protein coat
  213. captious – Nitpicky; deliberately confusing; underhanded debating tactics
  214. caracole – A half-turn performed by a horse and rider (or to perform same)
  215. caravansary – An inn built around a large court for accommodating caravans (mostly in Asia)
  216. carnelian – A pale to deep red or reddish-brown variety of clear chalcedony, used in jewelry.
  217. casement – A window or part of a window set on a hinge so that it opens like a door
  218. casuistical – Specious reasoning intended to mislead
  219. castrum – An old Roman fortress or encampment
  220. catabolic – The metabolic breakdown of complex molecules into simpler ones, often resulting in a release of energy.
  221. catafalque – A funeral bier
  222. catamenial – Of or relating to menstruation or the menses
  223. catamite – A boy who has a sexual relationship with a man.
  224. cataphract – A defensive armor, often made of link mail, used for the entire body (also covering a horse in cavalry)
  225. catastasis – The part of a drama immediately preceding the climax
  226. catawampus – Skewed, twisted
  227. catchpenny – Designed and made to sell without concern for quality; cheap.
  228. catechism – 1. A manual giving basic instruction in a subject, usually by rote or repetition; 2. A body of fundamental principles or beliefs, especially when accepted uncritically
  229. catechumen – A novice; one who is being instructed at an elementary level
  230. catenary – The curve formed by a cable suspended by its endpoints
  231. caudal – Situated beneath or on the underside; inferior; opposite of anterior
  232. caudillo – A leader or chief, especially a military dictator.
  233. cautery – The act or process or cauterizing (or an agent used to cauterize)
  234. cavil – To quibble
  235. cenotaph – A monument honoring a person buried elsewhere
  236. cerements – A burial cloth
  237. cernuous – Drooping, as the leaves of a plant
  238. chaff – Trivial or worthless matter; dry bracts of seeds, removed during threshing; metal bits emitted by a plane to foil radar
  239. chalcedony – A translucent to transparent milky or grayish quartz
  240. chancel – The space around the altar of a church for the clergy and sometimes the choir, often enclosed by a lattice or railing.
  241. chancellery – The rank, position, office or department of a chancellor
  242. chandler – One that makes or sells candles
  243. chaparral – An area covered by a dense growth of mostly small-leaved evergreen shrubs
  244. charas – A cannabis concentrate made from the resin of a live cannabis plant; from the Urdu/Hindi
  245. charivari – An elaborate, noisy celebration, often mocking (page 508 of the Idiot)
  246. chary – 1. Very cautious; wary; 2. Not giving or expending freely; sparing
  247. chatelaine – The mistress of a castle or of a large, fashionable household; a hooklike clasp with chains for suspending small objects, as keys worn at the waist by women esp. in the 18th and 19th centuries
  248. chautauqua – A summer school or educational meeting held in the summer
  249. chiasmus – Reversal of the order of words in the second of two parallel phrases: he came in triumph and in defeat departs.
  250. chiaroscuro – The technique of using light and shade in pictorial representation
  251. chiasmus – A rhetorical inversion of the second of two parallel structures, as in “Each throat / Was parched, and glazed each eye” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge).
  252. chicane – 1. An artificial narrowing or turn on a road or auto-racing course; 2. To resort to tricks or subterfuges
  253. chicle – The coagulated milky latex of the sapodilla, formerly used as the principal ingredient of chewing gum.
  254. chilblain – An inflammation followed by itchy irritation on the hands, feet, or ears, resulting from exposure to moist cold
  255. chimerical – Highly improbable or illusory
  256. chine – 1. The backbone or spine, esp. of an animal; 2. a cut of meat containing same
  257. chintz – A printed and glazed cotton fabric, usually of bright colors
  258. Chiron – The wise centaur who tutored Achilles, Hercules, and Asclepius
  259. chiropodist – A podiatrist or foot doctor
  260. chiton – 1. A mollusk that lives on rocks and has a shell consisting of eight overlapping calcareous plates. Also called sea cradle or coat-of-mail shell; 2. A tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greece
  261. choad – a. A penis (esp. one that is wider than it is long); 2. Someone who is obnoxious or annoying
  262. chode – Past tense of chide
  263. cholecystitis – Inflammation of the gallbladder
  264. choropleth – A symbol or marked and bounded area on a map denoting the distribution of some property
  265. chronophagy – Something that wastes (or “eats”) time.
  266. chyme – Semi-fluid mass of partly digested food/bolus in the stomach
  267. chyron – A graphic that is digitally superimposed over the lower portion of a broadcast television image, often scrolling or otherwise animated
  268. cichlid – Any of numerous tropical and subtropical chiefly freshwater fishes of the family Cichlidae, which includes the tilapias and many species that are popular as aquarium fish.
  269. cimicine – Smelling like bugs
  270. circumvallate – Encircle as with a rampart
  271. cisalpine – Relating to, living on, or coming from the southern side of the Alps
  272. cislunar – Of or relating to the space between the earth and the moon
  273. clabber – Sour, curdled milk; to curdle
  274. clafoutis – A baked dessert composed of a layer of fresh fruit topped with a thick batter. Chiefly French.
  275. clapboard – 1. A long thin timber board with one edge thicker than the other, used in wood-frame construction by lapping each board over the one below; 2. a house made of same
  276. clavis – 1. A key; 2. A glossary
  277. clepsydra – An instrument designed to measure time by the fall or flow of a quantity of water; also called a “water clock”
  278. clerestory – A portion of an interior rising above adjacent rooftops and having windows admitting daylight.
  279. clerisy – Educated people considered as a group; the literati.
  280. cloistered – Secluded or shut up from the world
  281. clotted cream – A thick cream made primarily in England by heating milk until a layer of cream forms on its surface that is then cooled and skimmed off
  282. clyster – An enema
  283. coadunate – Closely joined; grown together; united.
  284. cockade – An ornament, such as a rosette or knot of ribbon, usually worn on the hat as a badge.
  285. codon – A sequence of three adjacent nucleotides constituting the genetic code that determines the insertion of a specific amino acid in a polypeptide chain during protein synthesis or the signal to stop protein synthesis
  286. coffle – A line of animals or slaves, chained together
  287. coir – The fiber obtained from the husk of a coconut
  288. colliery – A coal mine together with its physical plant and outbuildings
  289. colloidal – A liquid within which very fine particles are evenly distributed so that they stay suspended
  290. colloquy – Written dialogue
  291. coloratura – Vocal music characterized by florid ornamental passages
  292. colporteur – A peddler of devotional literature
  293. colubra – A female snake
  294. colubrine – Serpentine
  295. Columbine – A flower from the buttercup family
  296. colure – Either of two great circles on the celestial sphere, one of which passes through the celestial poles and the equinoxes and the other through the poles and the solstices
  297. commensality – The act or practice of eating at the same table
  298. commixtion – The act of mixing together
  299. communard – One who lives in a commune
  300. compendious – Containing or stating briefly all the essentials of something; comprehensive and concise
  301. compossible – Able to exist with another thing; consistent.
  302. comprador – A person who acts as an agent for foreign organizations engaged in investment, trade, or economic or political exploitation
  303. conatus – the tendency of all things to persist in their own being
  304. concessio – “A rhetorical stylistic tool in which one takes up the opponent’s argument, acknowledging it as correct while simultaneously weakening it. (E.g. “Yes. Günther has behaved immorally,
  305. but he can not be legally punished for it.”) See paromologia.”
  306. concomitant – Occurring or existing concurrently
  307. concupiscent – Lascivious
  308. condign – Deserved; adequate
  309. congelation – The process of congealing or the state of being congealed.
  310. congeries – A collection
  311. conjunctivitis – Inflammation of the conjunctiva, characterized by redness and often accompanied by a discharge
  312. conker – A horse chestnut
  313. conkers – A game in which two players swing horse chestnuts strung on string, each trying to use his or her horse chestnut to shatter his or her opponent’s.
  314. connubial – Of marriage or wedlock; matrimonial; conjugal.
  315. consilience – A chance happening or coincidence
  316. conspecific – Of or belonging to the same species.
  317. constult – To act stupidly together
  318. consubstantiality – Participation of the same nature; coexistence in the same substance.
  319. contango – A situation where the futures price of a commodity is higher than the spot price
  320. contemn – To view with contempt; despise
  321. contra mundum – Against the world; in defiance of all general opinion
  322. contrariety – The quality or condition of being contrary.
  323. contretemps – 1. An inopportune or embarrassing occurrence or situation; 2. an argument or dispute
  324. contumacious – Anti-authoritarian
  325. contumely – Rudeness or contempt arising from arrogance; insolence
  326. conurbation – A predominantly urban region including adjacent towns and suburbs; a metropolitan area
  327. convolvulus – Any typically twining herbaceous convolvulaceous plant of the genus Convolvulus, having funnel-shaped flowers and triangular leaves
  328. copula – The word or set of words that serves as a link between the subject and predicate of a proposition
  329. coracle – A small, rounded, primitive boat (stretched skin over wooden frame)
  330. corse – A corpse (archaic)
  331. corybantic – To dance in a fashion similar to rites for the Phrygian goddess Cybele, celebrated with music and ecstatic dances
  332. cotise – A narrow stripe that usually occurs as one of a pair, with each stripe occurring on either side of a bend, fess, or other charge in heraldry
  333. crepuscular – Resembling twilight; dim; active at twilight (from Reamde)
  334. cresset – A metal cup, often suspended on a pole, containing burning oil or pitch and used as a torch
  335. cretonne – A heavy unglazed cotton, linen, or rayon fabric, colorfully printed and used for draperies and slipcovers
  336. crim – Short for criminal
  337. crotchet – An odd, whimsical, perverse or stubborn notion
  338. croupy – The rump of a beast of burden, especially a horse.
  339. croupy – Characterized by respiratory difficulty and a hoarse, brassy cough
  340. cryptid – Animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild, but are not believed to exist by mainstream science
  341. cuirass – A piece of armor for protecting the breast and back, often consisting of two pieces fastened together
  342. cuirassier – A horse soldier in European armies whose equipment included the cuirass
  343. culverin – 1. An early, crudely made musket; 1. A long heavy cannon used in the 16th and 17th centuries
  344. cumbrously – In a cumbersome manner; difficult to handle because of size or weight
  345. cunctation – Procrastination; delay
  346. cupidity – Excessive desire, esp. for wealth; covetousness or avarice
  347. curate – 1. A member of the clergy employed to assist a rector or vicar; 2. To take charge of (a museum) or organize (an art exhibit); 3. To gather and present to the public
  348. curlew – Any of several brownish, long-legged shorebirds of the genus Numenius, having long, slender, downward-curving bills
  349. currycomb – A comb with plastic or rubber teeth, used for grooming horses.
  350. curtilage – The area considered legally part of a house or dwelling by virtue of its enclosure by a fence or habitual use in domestic activities.
  351. cuspidor – spittoon; a large bowl, often of metal, serving as a receptacle for spit, esp. from chewing tobacco
  352. cutis – The dermis and epidermis of the skin together
  353. cynosure – Focal point of attention or admiration
  354. dacoit – A member of a robber band or gang in South Asia
  355. dag – Hanging fur matted with mud
  356. damask – 1. A rich patterned fabric of cotton, linen, silk, or wool; 2. the wavy pattern on Damascus steel
  357. davit – A small crane that projects over the side of a ship and is used to hoist boats, anchors, and cargo
  358. deadhead – To remove dead flowers from a bush
  359. deare – An act of damage or injury
  360. debauch – To corrupt morally; to seduce
  361. debility – Being weak or infirm
  362. deckle – A frame used in making paper by hand to form paper pulp into sheets of a desired size.
  363. decoupage – The technique of decorating a surface with cutouts, as of paper, and finishing with layers of lacquer or varnish
  364. decrepicate – To make a crackling sound when roasted (crystals or salts)
  365. defalcation – Misuse of funds; embezzlement
  366. defeasance – The voiding of a contract or deed
  367. deflagrate – To burn or cause to burn with great heat and intense light
  368. deictic – Directly proving by argument
  369. dekko – A look; a glance; view. E.g. Take a dekko at.
  370. delation – The act of conveying; carriage (obsolete)
  371. delator – An accuser; an informer
  372. deliquesce – 1. To disappear as if by melting; 2. to dissolve and become liquid by absorbing moisture from the air; 3. to branch out into numerous subdivisions that lack a main axis, as the trunk of an elm
  373. demesne – An extensive piece of landed property; an estate
  374. demiurge – A powerful creative force or personality
  375. demob – Short for demobilization of armed forces
  376. demonym – Official designation for the inhabitant of a region (see gentilic)
  377. demotic – Of or relating to the common people; popular
  378. deodand – A thing that had caused a person’s death and was forfeited to the crown for a charitable purpose; literally: “giving unto God”
  379. deoppilate – To clear a passage through
  380. derecho – A windstorm that is accompanied by a quickly moving, usually bow-shaped band of showers or thunderstorms.
  381. descant – 1. An ornamental melody or counterpoint sung or played above a theme; 2. A discussion or discourse on a theme
  382. desideratum – Something considered necessary or highly desirable
  383. desquamate – To shed, peel, or come off in scales. Used of skin
  384. desuetude – A state of disuse or inactivity.
  385. diachronic – Of or concerned with phenomena, such as linguistic features, as they change through time.
  386. diagetic – Music that exists within the reality of a film
  387. dialetheia – True contradictions (true statements whose opposite is also true)
  388. diaphoresis – Copious perspiration; usu. a condition
  389. dibble – A pointed gardening implement used to make holes in soil, especially for planting bulbs or seedlings.
  390. diegesis – The world that is depicted in a work of narrative art, especially a film.
  391. diegetic – Existing or occurring within the world of a narrative rather than as something external to that world (i.e. narration or soundtrack music in a film is non-diegetic)
  392. dieresis – Diacritical mark indicating a pronounced vowel
  393. diffident – Lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid
  394. dilatory – Causing or intended to cause delay
  395. dimity – A sheer, crisp cotton fabric with raised woven stripes or checks, used chiefly for curtains and dresses.
  396. dioptric – Relating to optical refraction; refractive
  397. discursive – Covering a wide field of subjects; rambling.
  398. disembogue – Pour out; be disgorged in quantity
  399. disheveled – Being in loose disarray; unkempt, as hair or clothing
  400. dissimulate – To conceal one’s true feelings or intentions
  401. dissolute – Lacking moral restraint; indulging in sensual pleasures or vices; lax in morals; licentious
  402. distaff – Women considered as a group; female
  403. dithyramb – 1. any wildly enthusiastic speech or writing 2. A frenzied, impassioned choric hymn and dance of ancient Greece in honor of Dionysus
  404. divagate – 1. To wander or drift about; 2. to ramble; digress
  405. doolally – Out of one’s mind; crazy
  406. dombra – A long-necked Kazakh, Uzbek and Bashkir lute
  407. doss – 1. Sleep; rest; 2. a crude or makeshift bed
  408. douanier – A customs officer
  409. dovecote – A compartmental structure, often raised on a pole, for housing domesticated pigeons
  410. dowager – 1. A widow who holds a title or property derived from her deceased husband; 2. an elderly woman of high social station
  411. doxastic – Of or relating to belief
  412. doxology – An expression of praise to God, esp. a short hymn sung as part of a Christian worship service
  413. draughts – The game of checkers
  414. dropsy – An excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue spaces or a body cavity; edema (obsolete)
  415. drupe – A fleshy fruit with a pit (e.g. peach, plum, cherry, etc.)
  416. duckboard – A board or boardwalk laid across wet or muddy ground or flooring
  417. dudgeon – 1. A sullen, angry, or indignant humor; 2. A dagger with a hilt made of this wood.
  418. dunam – A unit of area used for land measurement in Israel and usually equal to 1,000 square meters.
  419. dupatta – A long wide scarf often worn draped over the head or across the shoulders, chiefly by women in South Asia
  420. duumvirate – 1. A regime or partnership of two persons 2. A coalition of two people holding the same office, as in ancient Rome.
  421. dysarthria – Unclear articulation of otherwise normal speech
  422. dysgraphic – Having a neurological disorder marked by impairment of the ability to write, especially to write by hand and to spell.
  423. dysphemism – The use of a derogatory, offensive or vulgar word or phrase to replace a (more) neutral original.
  424. dysphoria – An emotional state characterized by anxiety, depression, or unease; the opposite of euphoria
  425. easement – 1. The act of anointing as part of a religion; 2. An ointment or oil; a salve
  426. eau-de-nil – A pale yellowish green color, supposedly that of the color of the Nile (taken from the French for “water of the Nile”)
  427. ecclesial – Of or relating to a church, especially as an organized institution. Syn.: ecclesiastical
  428. ecdemic – Not indigenous or endemic; foreign
  429. echolalia – The uncontrollable and immediate repetition of words spoken by another person, esp. as associated with mental disorder.
  430. écorché – An anatomical representation of all or part of a human or animal body with the skin removed so as to display the musculature
  431. ecumene – A nuclear area of high culture to which neighboring regions stand in a relation of cultural backwardness or dependence
  432. efflorescence – 1. A gradual process of unfolding or developing; 2. the point or time of greatest vigor; the culmination
  433. egregoric – Of or relating to the occult concept of a group mind, egregore
  434. eidolon – An image of an ideal. An apparition.
  435. eisegesis – Reading meaning into a text that is not there
  436. ekphrastic – In the style of a work of art produced as a rhetorical exercise.
  437. Elbrus – A peak, 5,643 m (18,513 ft) high, in the Caucasus Mountains of southwest Russia near the border of Georgia. It is the highest elevation in Europe
  438. eleemosynary – 1. Of, concerned with, or dependent on charity; 2. Given as an act of charity
  439. elegiac – Of, relating to, or involving elegy or mourning or expressing sorrow for that which is irrecoverably past
  440. elozable – Readily influenced by flattery
  441. emanant – Flowing, issuing, or proceeding from something else; becoming apparent by an effect.
  442. embonpoint – The plump or fleshy part of a person’s body, in particular a woman’s bosom.
  443. embouchure – The mouth of a river
  444. emolument – Payment for an office or employment; compensation
  445. Empedocles – Greek philosopher who believed that all matter is composed of earth, air, fire and water, and that all change is caused by attraction and repulsion.
  446. empennage – The tail assembly of an aircraft (page 223 of Reamde)
  447. empyrean – Heavenly or sublime; the highest part of the (supposedly spherical) heavens, thought in ancient times to contain the pure element of fire and by early Christians to be the abode of God and the angels
  448. enantiodromia – The principle that a superabundance of a force produces its opposite
  449. enantiomorphic – To be chemically identical crystals that are mirror images of each other
  450. enceinte – Pregnant (from the French)
  451. encomiast – A person who delivers or writes an encomium; a eulogist
  452. encomium – Warm praise
  453. endometriosis – The presence of endometrium elsewhere than in the lining of the uterus; causes premenstrual pain and dysmenorrhea
  454. endonym – The name for themselves, their homeland, or their language of a people or social group
  455. endue – To provide with a quality or trait; endow
  456. enfeoff – To invest (a person) with possession of a freehold estate in land
  457. Ensor – Belgian expressionist painter, noted for his macabre subjects
  458. entasis – A slight convexity or swelling, as in the shaft of a column, conventionally employed especially in classical architecture.
  459. entelechy – Actuality as opposed to potentiality (from Aristotelian philosophy)
  460. entheogenic – Hallucinogenic, psychedelic, or mind-altering. It applies esp. to drugs or plants employed in mystical, religious, or spiritual ceremonies
  461. entrepôt – A warehouse; a market or trading center (page 648 of Reamde)
  462. enure – To toughen or harden by use or exposure; accustom; habituate (see inure)
  463. enuresis – The involuntary discharge of urine; urinary incontinence
  464. epeirogeny – Uplift or depression of the earth’s crust, affecting large areas of land or ocean bottom
  465. epenthesis – Insertion of a sound in a word
  466. epergne – An ornamental stand or dish for holding fruit, flowers, etc., used as a centerpiece
  467. epicortical – On top of the bark (botanical)
  468. epicurean – Devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, esp. to the enjoyment of good food and comfort
  469. epideictic – Designed primarily for rhetorical display
  470. epigenetic – Denoting processes by which heritable modifications in gene function occur without a change in the sequence of the DNA
  471. epigone – A second-rate imitator or follower, esp. of an artist or a philosopher
  472. epigram – A concise, clever, often paradoxical statement (can be a poem); see Yogi Berra or Groucho Marx
  473. epigraph – 1. An inscription, as on a statue or building; 2. a motto or quotation, as at the beginning of a literary composition, setting forth a them
  474. epiphenomena – 1. A secondary or additional phenomenon; by-product; 2. An unexpected or atypical symptom or occurrence during the course of a disease
  475. epistemology – Study of the nature of knowledge
  476. epistle – A literary composition in the form of a letter
  477. epistolary – Of or associated with letters or the writing of letters
  478. epitatic – [definition unknown] (from Oblivion by David Foster Wallace)
  479. epithelium – Membranous tissue composed of one or more layers of cells separated by very little intercellular substance and forming the covering of most internal and external surfaces of the body and its organs
  480. epizeuxis – The repetition of a word with vehemence and emphasis
  481. equanimity – The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure
  482. equerry – A personal attendant to the British royal household, generally responsible for the horses
  483. ergodic – Of or relating to the probability that any state will recur
  484. erysipelas – An acute streptococcal infectious disease of the skin, characterized by fever, headache, vomiting, and purplish raised lesions, esp. on the face. Also called: Saint Anthony’s fire
  485. Esau – In the Bible, the eldest son of Isaac and Rebecca who sold his birthright to his twin brother, Jacob, for a mess of pottage
  486. eschatology – The branch of theology that is concerned with the end of the world or of humankind
  487. escheat – A common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the Crown or state
  488. escutcheon – Shield or emblem bearing a coat of arms
  489. espaliered – A tree or shrub that is trained to grow in a flat plane against a wall or trellis, often in a symmetrical pattern.
  490. estaminet – A small café.
  491. estivation – Dormancy or torpor during the summer
  492. esurient – Hungry
  493. etiolate – 1. To cause to appear pale and sickly; 2. to make weak by stunting the growth or development of
  494. eudaemonic – Producing happiness and well-being
  495. euphonium – A brass instrument similar to the tuba but having a somewhat higher pitch and a mellower sound
  496. euphonious – Pleasing or agreeable to the ear.
  497. evanescent – Vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor, ephemeral or transitory, passing out of sight; fading away; vanishing
  498. evection – Irregularity in the moon’s motion caused by perturbations of the sun and planets
  499. excrescent – Abnormal or excessive growth
  500. exegesis – Critical explanation or analysis
  501. exegete – A person skilled in exegesis
  502. exercitant – One who practices religious exercises
  503. exigent – Requiring immediate aid or action
  504. exiguous – Meager or extremely scanty
  505. exonym – A name by which one people or social group refers to another and by which the group so named does not refer to itself.
  506. exophthalmic – Characterized by the prominence of the eyeballs
  507. exordium – A beginning or introductory part, esp. of a speech or treatise
  508. exoteric – Not confined to an inner circle of disciples or initiates.
  509. extrorse – Botanical term for facing outward or turned away from the axis
  510. factotum – An assistant who takes on a wide range of tasks and responsibilities.
  511. fain – Happily; gladly (archaic)
  512. falchion – A short and slightly curved medieval sword broader towards the point
  513. fantail – Overhanging stern of a boat (esp. a warship)
  514. fard – To paint the face with cosmetics, so as to hide blemishes
  515. farrago – An assortment or a medley; a hodgepodge
  516. farro – The grains of three wheat species
  517. farrow – 1. A litter of pigs. 2. To produce a litter of pigs.
  518. faute-de-mieux – For lack of something better
  519. fauvism – An early 20th-century movement in painting begun by a group of French artists and marked by the use of bold, often distorted forms and vivid colors.
  520. fecundate – Fertilize; make fruitful
  521. felid – Sly, stealthy, or treacherous; belonging or pertaining to the cat family (related to canid for dogs)
  522. fesse – A wide horizontal band forming the middle section of an escutcheon.
  523. fiacre – A small four-wheeled carriage
  524. fideistic – Reliance on faith alone rather than scientific reasoning or philosophy in questions of religion.
  525. fillip – 1. A snap or light blow made by pressing a fingertip against the thumb and suddenly releasing it; 2. To stimulate or arouse (or something that does so)
  526. finial – 1. An ornamental terminating part, as on a post or piece of furniture; 2. an ornament on top of a spire, gable
  527. firedamp – Methane
  528. firth – A long, narrow inlet
  529. fissiparous – Having a tendency to divide into groups or factions
  530. flews – The fleshy hanging upper lip of a bloodhound or similar dog
  531. flinder – 1. A butterfly. 2. To scamper about flutteringly 3. To break (something) into flinders (pieces)
  532. flivver – A broken-down car or jalopy
  533. flocculent – Having a fluffy or woolly appearance; fleecy
  534. flyblown – 1. Tainted; corrupt; 2. dirty or rundown; squalid
  535. flyover – An overpass, as on a highway (chieflly British)
  536. fomes – Any inanimate or nonpathogenic substance or material, exclusive of food, which may act as a vector for a pathogen.
  537. fomites – Plural of fomes
  538. foolscap – A sheet of writing or printing paper measuring about 13 by 16 inches
  539. foxed – Marked with spots or discoloration, as from age
  540. frass – Debris or excrement produced by insects.
  541. fritinancy – A chirping or creaking, as of a cricket.
  542. frowsy – 1. Unkempt; slovenly; 2. ill-smelling; musty
  543. frugivore – An animal, such as a chimpanzee or fruit bat, that feeds primarily on fruit.
  544. fubsy – Fat and squat
  545. fucus – A seaweed common to intertidal regions and typically having greenish-brown slimy fronds. See also wrack
  546. fulguration – To emit flashes of lightning
  547. fulsome – 1. Excessively flattering or insincerely earnest; sycophantic; 2. disgusting or offensive
  548. fungible – Interchangeable
  549. fungo – The act of tossing the ball upwards and hitting it as it descends, a ball hit in this manner or the light bat used to hit such balls
  550. furbelow – 1. A ruffle or flounce on a garment; 2. piece of showy ornamentation
  551. furze – Gorse; spiny evergreen shrubs
  552. fustic – The wood of a large, tropical American tree, Chlorophora tinctoria, of the mulberry family, yielding a light yellow dye.
  553. gaff – Barbed spear; stick with a hook on it
  554. gaffer – An electrician in charge of lighting on a movie or television set
  555. Galen – Greek anatomist, physician, and philosopher. His theories, which emphasized maintaining a balance of the four humors, formed the basis of European medicine until the Renaissance
  556. Galicia – A region of east-central Europe on the north side of the Carpathians, now in SE Poland and Ukraine
  557. galliass – A large, fast, heavily armed three-masted Mediterranean galley of the 1500s and 1600s (var. of galleas)
  558. gallimaufry – A jumble; a hodgepodge
  559. gamelan – An Indonesian orchestra composed mainly of tuned percussion instruments such as bamboo xylophones, wooden or metal chimes, and gongs
  560. gastrocnemius – The largest, most prominent muscle of the calf of the leg, the action of which extends the foot and bends the knee
  561. gatka – An Indian martial art associated with the Sikhs of the Punjab
  562. gauleiter – A person in a position of petty or local authority who behaves in an overbearing authoritarian manner (from a provincial governor in Germany under Hitler)
  563. gavage – Introduction of nutritive material into the stomach by means of a tube.
  564. Gehenna – 1. A place or state of torment or suffering. 2. The abode of condemned souls; hell
  565. gelastician – One who causes laughter
  566. gentian – Any gentianaceous plant having blue, yellow, white, or red showy flowers
  567. gentilic – Derived from a place name that depicts the residents of that place; see demonym
  568. geoid – The hypothetical surface of the earth that coincides everywhere with mean sea level.
  569. ghat – Stairs or a passage leading down to a river (from the Hindi)
  570. gigue – A synonym for jig
  571. girn – To complain; to snarl or grimace (also gurn)
  572. glaucous – 1. Of a pale grayish or bluish green; 2. covered with a bluish waxy or powdery bloom
  573. glean – To gather (something) slowly and carefully in small pieces (comes from the word for gathering useful remnants of a crop from a field after a harvest)
  574. glymphatic – A functional waste clearance pathway for the vertebrate central nervous system.
  575. gnomic – Marked by aphorisms; aphoristic
  576. godown – Warehouse (esp. in India)
  577. goffer – An iron used for pressing ridges or narrow pleats, or ridges or pleats produced in this manner
  578. gonfalon – A banner hung from a crosspiece, like in the Crusades
  579. gound – The gunk that collects in the corners of the eyes
  580. gowpen – A bowl formed by two hands (Scottish)
  581. grace-and-favour – A house, flat, etc. owned by the sovereign and granted free of rent to a person to whom the sovereign wishes to express gratitude
  582. gracile – Gracefully slender
  583. gravamen – Material substance of a charge or complaint
  584. greaves – Shin armor/guards
  585. grebe – Any of various swimming and diving birds of the family Podicipedidae, having a pointed bill and lobed, fleshy membranes along each toe.
  586. greenmail – The practice of a company buying sufficient shares in another company to threaten takeover and making a quick profit as a result of the threatened company buying back its shares at a higher price
  587. griot – A member of a caste responsible for maintaining an oral record of tribal history in the form of music, poetry, and storytelling (chiefly in Western Africa)
  588. grisaille – A style of monochromatic painting in shades of gray
  589. grizzle – To make or become gray
  590. groat – An English silver coin worth four pennies, taken out of circulation in the 17th century
  591. groyne – Variant of groin
  592. grutch – To grudge; to begrudge
  593. gudgen – Pivot; hinge; small fish; one who is easily duped (page 86 of the Brothers Karamazov)
  594. guerdon – A reward; recompense
  595. guipure – A coarse large-patterned lace without a net background. Also called Venice lace.
  596. gurn – To complain, snarl or grimace (also girn; from the Scottish)
  597. gyp – A fraud or swindle, or some who perpetrates same
  598. ha-ha – A wall or other boundary marker that is set in a ditch so as not to interrupt the landscape
  599. habergeon – A short, sleeveless coat of mail; a hauberk.
  600. haecceity – The property that uniquely identifies an object
  601. hagridden – Tormented or harassed by nightmares or unreasonable fears
  602. halvah – A confection of Turkish origin, made chiefly of ground sesame seeds and honey
  603. hamartia – A tragic flaw; the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy (e.g. Achilles’s heel)
  604. hapax legomenon – A word or form that occurs only once in the recorded corpus of a given language.
  605. hardtack – A hard biscuit or bread made with only flour and water. Also called sea biscuit, sea bread, ship biscuit
  606. haruspicy – Divination by natural means (e.g. lightning)
  607. haustorium – A specialized structure of a parasitic fungus or plant, used to absorb nutrients and water from the host plant.
  608. hawse – The part of a ship where the hawseholes are located; The space between the bows and anchors of an anchored ship.
  609. hebephrenic – A type of schizophrenia characterized by disorganized speech and behavior, flat or inappropriate affect, and sometimes silly or inappropriate mannerisms.
  610. hecatomb – A large-scale sacrifice or slaughter
  611. heliotrope – Any of various plants that turn toward the sun
  612. helotry – The condition of serfdom
  613. helve – A handle of a tool, such as an axe, chisel, or hammer.
  614. hendecagon – A polygon having eleven sides
  615. heresiarch – One who originates or is the chief proponent of a heresy or heretical movement
  616. hermeneutics – Theory of interpretation (esp. religious texts)
  617. heterachy – A formal structure (e.g. connected nodes) without any single permanent uppermost node
  618. heteroclite – an irregularly formed word; irregular or unusual
  619. heterophemize – To say something different from what you mean to say (e.g. as a false compliment)
  620. hierophant – An interpreter of sacred mysteries or arcane knowledge
  621. Hijri – The lunar calendar used by Muslims and reckoned from a.d. 622: the calendar year consists of 354 days and contains 12 months.
  622. hippocras – Wine flavored with spices
  623. homoeomery – The state or quality of being homogeneous in elements or first principles; likeness or identity of parts. (also Homoeomery)
  624. horripilated – Having goosebumps from either fear or cold or excitement
  625. howdah – A seat for riding on an elephant’s back, esp. one with a canopy
  626. hoyden – Tomboy; a boisterous, high-spirited, saucy girl
  627. huckster – A person who sells small items door-to-door or from a stall
  628. humect – To moisten; to wet
  629. hunker – To squat on one’s heels (a synonym from Bill Burr: Vietnamese gambler squat)
  630. hustings – A place where political campaign speeches are made (chiefly British)
  631. hyaline – Resembling glass, as in translucence or transparency; glassy
  632. hypaethral – Wholly or partly open to the sky
  633. hypertelorism – Abnormal distance between two paired organs, esp. the eyes
  634. iatrogenic – Unintentionally induced by a physician
  635. icteric – Related to jaundice (to be ill with or a treatment)
  636. idiolect – Unique linquistic pattern with a small group; mini-dialect
  637. illeism – Referring to oneself in the third person
  638. imbricate – To overlap in a regular pattern
  639. immanent – Inherent
  640. impecuniousness – The state of being poor; penury
  641. impecunity – The state of being poor; penury
  642. impetigo – A contagious bacterial skin disease characterized by the formation of pustules that develop into yellowish crusty sores
  643. impluvious – Wet with rain
  644. incalescent – Growing hotter or more ardent
  645. incarnadine – Of a fleshy pink color; blood-red
  646. incunabula – An artifact of an early period (artifact of an early period)
  647. indiscerpible – Not discerpible; inseparable
  648. indite – To set down in writing; to compose
  649. infundibulum – Any of various funnel-shaped bodily passages, openings, structures, or parts, esp. the stalk of the pituitary gland
  650. infusoria – Various microscopic organisms found in infusions of decaying organic matter
  651. ingenuous – Candid; lacking in guile
  652. inimical – Injurious or harmful in effect; adverse; unfriendly or hostile
  653. inspissate – To thicken, as by evaporation
  654. instauration – Renovation; restoration.
  655. intarsia – A decorative inlaid pattern in a surface, esp. a mosaic worked in wood
  656. indendant – An administrative official (such as a governor); director or manager in German
  657. interpellate – To question (a member of the government) on a point of government policy, often interrupting the business of the day
  658. interpellation – An act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; see interpellate
  659. intransitive – An intransitive verb, on the other hand, describes an action that does not happen to something or someone
  660. inveigle – To obtain by cajolery; seduce
  661. inverter – Any device for converting a direct current into an alternating current
  662. invidious – Inciting ill will; troll-y; discriminatory; envious;
  663. invigilator – Monitor or proctor who watches examination candidates to prevent cheating
  664. ipseity – The quality of being oneself or itself; the essentia] element of identity
  665. irenic – Promoting peace; conciliatory.
  666. irredentism – A national policy advocating the acquisition of some region in another country by reason of common linguistic, cultural, historical, ethnic, or racial ties.
  667. irrefragably – Admittedly; fairly
  668. jabot – An ornamental cascade of ruffles or frills down the front of a shirt, blouse, or dress.
  669. jasper – An opaque cryptocrystalline variety of quartz that may be red, yellow, or brown
  670. jejune – Naive, simplistic, or superficial
  671. jequirity – Indian liquorice seeds; used to make black rosary beads
  672. jouissance – Jollity; merriment
  673. katabatic – Of or relating to the downward flow of cold dense air
  674. keck – To retch or feel nausea; to feel or express disgust
  675. kedgeree – 1. A dish of India containing rice, lentils, and spices. 2. a dish of rice, fish, hard-boiled eggs, cream, and seasonings
  676. kefir – A creamy drink made of fermented cow’s milk
  677. keloid – An abnormal proliferation of scar tissue, often pink, as on the site of a surgical incision
  678. kenning – A conventional poetic phrase used for or in addition to the usual name of a person or thing, esp. in Old Norse and Old English verse, as wave traveler for boat; see metonymy
  679. kermess – A fair or church dedication
  680. kipper – A herring or salmon that has been split, salted, and smoked
  681. kirtle – 1. A man’s knee-length tunic or coat; 2. a woman’s dress or skirt
  682. knelling – The process of disassembling something and arranging its parts
  683. kulak – A prosperous landed peasant in czarist Russia, characterized by the Communists during the October Revolution as an exploiter
  684. kukri – A knife with a curved blade that broadens towards the point, esp. as used by Gurkhas
  685. kvass – A Russian fermented beverage similar to beer, made from rye or barley
  686. kwashiorkor – Severe malnutrition of infants and young children, esp. soon after weaning, resulting from dietary deficiency of protein (comes from the Ghanan)
  687. kyriarchy – A social system or set of connecting social systems built around domination, oppression, and submission (used in feminist theory)
  688. lability – The susceptibility to error or lapses of any kind, as a human failing
  689. laburnum – Any leguminous tree or shrub of the Eurasian genus Laburnum, having clusters of yellow drooping flowers: all parts of the plant are poisonous
  690. laconically – Marked by terseness or concision
  691. lacuna – An empty space or a missing part; a gap
  692. lagniappe – A small gift given with a purchase
  693. lahar – A mass of volcanic fragments, often mixed with water (e.g. rain), moving rapidly down the side of a volcano
  694. lambent – Flickering lightly (e.g. firelight); glowing with soft radiance, luminous
  695. lapidary – Polisher or dealer in precious stones
  696. lapillus – A small, solidified fragment of lava (pl. lapilli)
  697. lapis lazuli – An opaque to translucent blue, violet-blue, or greenish-blue semiprecious gemstone composed mainly of lazurite and calcite.
  698. larrikin – A person given to comical or outlandish behavior; an imp; a hooligan (chiefly Australian)
  699. lascar – An East Indian sailor, army servant, or artillery trooper during the era of European colonialism in Asia
  700. laterality – Preference in using one side of the body over the other.
  701. laterite – A red residual soil formed by the leaching of silica and by the enrichment with aluminum and iron oxides, esp. in humid climates
  702. latibulate – To hide oneself in a corner
  703. leal – Loyal and honest
  704. lenity – The condition or quality of being lenient; leniency
  705. Lepus – A constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near Orion and Columba
  706. letabund – Filled with joy
  707. Levallois – A filet-working technique in which a flint is trimmed so that a flake of predetermined size and shape can be struck from it
  708. leyden jars – An early form of capacitor consisting of a glass jar lined inside and out with tinfoil and having a conducting rod connected to the inner foil lining and passing out of the jar through an insulated stopper
  709. lictor – A Roman functionary who carried fasces when attending a magistrate in public appearances
  710. lief – Beloved; ready or willing
  711. limerence – Puppy love; a state of mind resulting from romantic attraction, characterized by feelings of euphoria, the desire to have one’s feelings reciprocated, etc
  712. liminal – Intermediate between two states, conditions, or regions; transitional or indeterminate
  713. lisle – A fine, smooth, tightly twisted thread spun from long-staple cotton
  714. lithotomy – Surgery to remove one or more stones from an organ or duct
  715. litotes – Understating by negation: no mean feat”
  716. littoral – A coastal region; a shore; the region or zone between the limits of high and low tides.
  717. locus – A locality; a place
  718. longueur – 1. A tedious passage in a work of literature or performing art; 2. a period of time filled with boredom or tedium
  719. lorgnette – A pair of eyeglasses or opera glasses mounted on a handle
  720. louche – Disreputable or sordid
  721. lubricious – Overtly sexual; salacious
  722. lucubrations – Writing or study; meditations
  723. ludic – Showing spontaneous and undirected playfulness
  724. lues – Any venereal disease (e.g. Syphilis); pestilence
  725. lumbago – A painful condition of the lower back, as one resulting from muscle strain or a slipped disk
  726. lupanarian – Pertaining to a brothel or prostitution; characteristic of illicit sexual desire or activity. (Also, lupinarian)
  727. lyceum – A hall in which public lectures, concerts, and similar programs are presented
  728. machicolation – A projecting gallery at the top of a castle wall, supported by a row of corbels and having openings in the floor through which stones and boiling liquids could be dropped on attackers (machiolate: to construct machicolations)
  729. macrocarpa – A large coniferous tree of New Zealand, Cupressus macrocarpa, used for shelter belts on farms and for rough timber. Also called: Monterey cypress
  730. maculate(v): To spot, blemish, or pollute; (n): 1. Spotted, blotched, or stained. 2. Morally sullied or impure
  731. madding – Acting madly; frenzied
  732. maenad – 1. A frenzied woman; 2. a female member of the orgiastic cult of Dionysus
  733. majolica – Italian earthenware covered with an opaque glaze of tin oxide and usu. highly decorated
  734. malesuete – Accustomed to poor habits
  735. malversation – Misbehavior and esp. corruption in an office, trust, or commission; corrupt administration
  736. mandala – Any of various designs symbolizing the universe, usually circular
  737. mandamus – A writ issued by a court requiring a public official or entity to perform a duty associated with that office or entity
  738. manqué – 1. Unfulfilled; potential; would-be; 2. Unfulfilled or frustrated in the realization of one’s ambitions or capabilities
  739. manumission – To free from slavery or bondage; emancipate
  740. manumit/manumission – To set free; release from slavery
  741. martingale – Part of a bridle; half-belt on the back of a coat; doubling the stakes after each loss; stability rigging for the bowsprit or jib (see definition)
  742. mascon – Any of several lunar regions of high gravity
  743. mattock – A digging tool with a flat blade set at right angles to the handle.
  744. matutinal – Of, relating to, or occurring in the morning; early
  745. megatherium – A large, extinct ground sloth that lived from the Miocene through the Pleistocene Epochs, primarily in South America. It was as large as an elephant, had long curved claws, and ate plants
  746. meretricious – Gaudy
  747. merkin – A pubic wig
  748. merlon – The solid portion between crenels
  749. mésalliance – A marriage with a person of inferior social position.
  750. metempsychosis – The theory of reincarnation
  751. metonym – A word used in metonymy
  752. metonymy – A synonym/metaphor; e.g. “brass” for upper officers or “plastic” for credit cards; see kenning
  753. mews – A group of buildings containing private stables that have been converted to residences
  754. mezzanine – A low story between two others in a building
  755. miasma – An unwholesome or oppressive atmosphere
  756. micrognathia – Abnormally small jaw
  757. micturition – urination; also, micturate
  758. milt – The sperm-containing fluid of a male fish
  759. mimetic – Of or relating to an imitation; imitative
  760. minatory – Of a menacing or threatening nature; minacious
  761. Mindanao – Second largest of the Philippine islands, NE of Borneo
  762. mirabile dictu – Wonderful to relate; amazing to say
  763. misfeasance – Improper and unlawful execution of an act that in itself is lawful and proper.
  764. misprision – Neglect in performing the duties of public office.
  765. moidore – A former Portuguese gold coin
  766. moiety – One half
  767. Moloch – Something possessing the power to exact severe sacrifice; a Semitic deity to whom parents sacrificed their children
  768. mondegreen – Misinterpretation of song lyrics (e.g. Israeli Men” instead of “It’s Raining Men”)”
  769. monkey-puzzle – A coniferous evergreen tree (Araucaria araucana) native to Chile and Argentina, having whorled branches covered with scalelike, overlapping, sharp-pointed leaves.
  770. monomachy – Single combat, or a duel
  771. Monophysite – A person who holds that there is only one nature in the person of Christ, which is primarily divine with human attributes
  772. monopsony – A situation in which the entire market demand for a product or service consists of only one buyer
  773. morbific – Causing disease; pathogenic
  774. morganatic – A marriage between nobility and lower rank, where titles and wealth are not shared
  775. morion – A crested metal helmet; black or blackish-brown smoky quartz
  776. morphetic – Of or relating to sleep or dreams
  777. moulinet – A circular cut or swing of the sword
  778. mountebank – A flamboyant charlatan
  779. mucopus – A mucopurulent discharge; a mixture of mucous material and pus.
  780. mudra – Ritual hand movements in Hindu religious dancing
  781. mulct – 1. To penalize by fining or demanding forfeiture; 2. to cheat or defraud
  782. mulga – The outback; bush
  783. mullein – Any of various Eurasian plants of the genus Verbascum of the figwort family, especially V. thapsus, naturalized in North America, having a tall spike of yellow flowers and leaves covered with dense woolly down.
  784. mullet – Freshwater, spiny-finned fish
  785. Munda – A family of languages spoken by scattered peoples throughout central India
  786. murine – A family of rodents that includes mice and rats
  787. murrain – Redwater fever, affecting livestock; a plague, epidemic or crop blight
  788. muskeg – A peat bog formed by an accumulation of sphagnum moss, leaves, and decayed matter, often with scattered small trees, and found especially in northern North America.
  789. musquash – Another name for muskrat
  790. musth – A periodic state of heightened sexual activity and aggression in adult male elephants, characterized by the discharge of secretions from glands near the eyes and the continuous dribbling of urine.
  791. mutatis mutandis – The necessary changes having been made (e.g. when applying a concept from one domain to another, e.g. maritime law to space travel)
  792. myocyclonic – Of or relating to a sudden irregular twitching of muscles or parts of muscles, occurring in various brain disorders
  793. myrmidon – Soldier or a subordinate civil officer who executes orders of a superior without protest or pity; – sometimes applied to bailiffs, constables, etc.
  794. mythopoeic – Serving to create or engender myths; productive in mythmaking
  795. nankeen – A sturdy yellow or buff cotton cloth (or trousers made of same).
  796. naphthalene – A white crystalline volatile solid with a characteristic penetrating odour: an aromatic hydrocarbon used in mothballs and in the manufacture of dyes, explosives
  797. natality – Birthrate
  798. natant – Floating or swimming in water
  799. navvy – A laborer, esp. one employed in construction or excavation projects
  800. neep – A dialect name for a turnip, chiefly British
  801. nefandous – Too odious to be spoken of
  802. nenuphar – Either a white or yellow water lily
  803. nepenthe – Something that induces forgetfulness of sorrow or eases pain (mentioned in the Odyssey)
  804. nephrologist – Specialist in conditions related to the kidney
  805. nescience – Ignorance; absence of awareness
  806. Nestorianism – The doctrine that Christ was two distinct persons, divine and human, implying a denial that the Virgin Mary was the mother of God. It is attributed to Nestorius and survives in the Iraqi Church
  807. netty – A lavatory, originally an earth closet (chiefly British)
  808. neuralgic – Sharp, severe paroxysmal pain extending along a nerve or group of nerves
  809. niello – A black metallic alloy (sulfur and copper, silver or lead
  810. nigrescent – Blackish; dark
  811. noctilucent – Luminous at night
  812. noddlen: The head or brains, chiefly British; v: to nod (the head), as through drowsiness
  813. noetics – The laws of logic; the science of the intellect.
  814. noisome – x
  815. nonplused – Filled with bewilderment
  816. noosphere – The part of the biosphere that is affected by human thought, culture, and knowledge
  817. nosology – The science of classification of diseases
  818. numeraire – A unit or an item of commerce in which prices are measured
  819. numinous – awe-inspiring, mysterious or spiritual; supernatural
  820. nibble – Four bits; also semi-octet, quadbit, or quartet; Brit: nybble
  821. nystagmus – A persistent, rapid, involuntary side-to-side eye movement
  822. obeah – 1. A form of belief involving sorcery, practiced in parts of the West Indies, South America, the southern U.S., and Africa. 2. A fetish or charm used in practicing obeah.
  823. obganiate – To annoy by repeating over and over and over and over
  824. oblation – Any offering made for religious or charitable purposes (e.g. offering of the bread and wine of the Eucharist to God)
  825. obloquy – 1. calumny; detractive language; 2. ill repute
  826. obovate – Egg-shaped and flat, with the narrow end at the base
  827. obscurantist – Practicing deliberate vagueness
  828. obsidional – Relating to a siege
  829. occiput – Back of the head
  830. ocherous – Ocher in color (or a mineral used to make that color)
  831. octarine – The Color of Magic or the King Color, the eighth color of the Discworld spectrum, visible only to wizards and cats, a greenish purple yellow color.
  832. ofay – A derogatory term for a White person (see cracker, honky, peckerwood)
  833. ogee – A double curve, resembling an S, formed by the union of a concave and a convex line (often a molding or arch in this shape)
  834. ogive – A diagonal rib or groin of a Gothic vault; 2. A distribution curve in which the frequencies are cumulative
  835. okrug – A type of administrative division in some Slavic-speaking states.
  836. oligopsony – A market with only very few buyers
  837. omphalic – Of or relating to the navel
  838. omphaloskepsis – Literally, the contemplation of one’s navel, which is an idiom usually meaning complacent self-absorption
  839. oneiric – Dream-like
  840. onomastics – The study of the etymology, history, and use of proper names
  841. ontogenesis – The development of an individual organism or a part of an organism from inception to maturity.
  842. ontology – The study of the essence of being
  843. opprobrium – Ignominy; cause of shame or disgrace
  844. opsimath – A person who learns late in life
  845. optative – Indicating or expressing choice, preference, or wish
  846. orgulous – Haughty; proud (archaic)
  847. orison – A prayer, a devout petition to God or an object of worship
  848. orogenesis – The process of mountain formation, esp. by a folding and faulting of the earth’s crust
  849. orotund – Pompous and bombastic; resonant; booming
  850. orthography – The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage
  851. orthophemistic – Plainly denotative; not euphemistic or dysphemistic
  852. osculation – A kiss (page 332 of Doctor Sleep)
  853. osmically – Of or relating to odors or the sense of smell
  854. osteitis – Inflammation of bone or bony tissue
  855. ostler – Man who looks after horses at an inn
  856. otiose – Lazy; indolent; serving no useful purpose
  857. otoconia – Minute calcareous particles in the gelatinous membrane surmounting the macula in the inner ear; also statoconia, otoliths, or statoliths
  858. oviparous – Producing eggs lain outside of the body
  859. paillasse – A straw-filled mat or mattress (var. of palliasse)
  860. palapa – A structure, such as a bar or restaurant in a tropical resort, that is open-sided and thatched with palm leaves.
  861. palimpsest – A manuscript, typically of papyrus or parchment, that has been written on more than once, with the earlier writing incompletely scraped off or erased and often legible.
  862. palingenesis – The doctrine of transmigration of souls; metempsychosis; the supposed repetition by an organism during its embryonic development of the stages in the evolution of its species, as asserted by the discredited biogenetic law
  863. Palio – Italian Renaissance or Medieval festival
  864. Palladian – Of, relating to, or characterized by wisdom or study
  865. palliasse – A straw-filled mat or mattress (var. of paillasse)
  866. palp – Either of a pair of sensory appendages that arise from the mouthparts of crustaceans and insects
  867. panicle – A loosely branched inflorescence, especially a branching raceme.
  868. panjandrum – A pompous self-important official or person of rank
  869. pantechnicon – 1. A large van, esp. one used for furniture removals; 2. a warehouse where furniture is stored
  870. pap – 1. A teat or nipple (archaic); 2. material lacking real value or substance; 3. soft or semiliquid food, as for infants
  871. papillote – 1. A paper frill around cutlets; 2. cooked in oiled greaseproof paper or foil
  872. pappus – A ring of fine feathery hairs surrounding the fruit in composite plants, such as the thistle; aids dispersal of the fruits by the wind
  873. paraphilia – Any abnormal sexual behavior; sexual anomaly or deviation
  874. parapraxis – A Freudian slip
  875. paregoric – An opium derivative used to treat diarrhea
  876. pareidolia – The perception of a recognizable image or meaningful pattern where none exists or is intended, as the perception of a face in the surface features of the moon.
  877. paresis – Slight or partial paralysis
  878. pareve – Prepared without meat, milk, or their derivatives and therefore permissible to be eaten with meat or dairy dishes according to dietary laws
  879. pari passu – At an equal pace; side by side
  880. parlous – full of danger or uncertainty
  881. paromologia – Admitting a weaker point in order to make a stronger one. (See concessio.)
  882. paronomasia – Pun; play on words
  883. parrhesia – Boldness or frankness of speech; the act of asking forgiveness for speaking in such a way
  884. parterre – A formally patterned flower garden
  885. parturition – The act or process of giving birth to one or more offspring
  886. parve – Containing neither meat nor milk products and so fit for use with either meat or milk dishes (from Judaism)
  887. passerine – An order of birds characterized by the perching habit: includes the larks, finches, crows, thrushes, starlings, etc.
  888. pastern – The part of a horse’s foot between the fetlock and hoof
  889. pauce – Being scarce or insufficient
  890. pauldron – Shoulder protection in a suit of armor
  891. pawl – A hinged or pivoted device adapted to fit into a notch of a ratchet wheel to impart forward motion or prevent backward motion.
  892. peaky – Wan, emaciated, or sickly
  893. peavey – An implement consisting of a wooden shaft with a metal point and a hinged hook near the end, used to handle logs.
  894. peccant – Sinful; guilty; corrupt
  895. peccary – A gregarious pig-like mammal that is found from the southwestern U.S. to Paraguay. (reference was “swarm […] like army ants on a drove of peccaries”.)
  896. peculation – Embezzlement
  897. pecuniary – Relating to money
  898. pedlars – Persons who travel about the country with merchandise, for the purpose of selling it; salesmen
  899. pedology – 1. The scientific study of soils, including their origins, characteristics, and uses; 2. the study of the physical and mental development and characteristics of children
  900. pelf – Lucre; wealth or riches, esp. when dishonestly acquired
  901. pellicle – A thin skin or membrane; film; scum
  902. pellucid – Transparent or translucent
  903. penectomy – Penis removal through surgery, generally for medical or personal reasons.
  904. pentimento – A visible trace of earlier painting beneath a layer or layers of paint on a canvas
  905. penurious – Poverty-stricken; stingy; meager
  906. percale – A closely woven cotton fabric used for sheets and clothing
  907. percipient – Perceptive
  908. perdurable – Enduring continuously; immortal
  909. perdure – To last permanently; endure
  910. peremptory – Subject to no further debate or dispute; final and unassailable
  911. perfervid – Extremely or extravagantly eager; impassioned or zealous.
  912. perfidy – Treachery; deliberate breach of faith
  913. periagua – Another name for pirogue; Also piragua; A canoe made from a hollowed tree trunk
  914. peripatetic – Mobile on foot; an itinerant
  915. periphrastic – The use of circumlocution. A roundabout way of expressing something.
  916. peristalsis – The wavelike muscular contractions of the digestive tract or other tubular structures by which contents are forced onward toward the opening
  917. perseverate – To repeat a word, gesture, or act insistently or redundantly
  918. persiflage – Banter; small-talk
  919. perspicacious – Acutely perceptive or discerning
  920. perspicuous – Clearly expressed or presented; lucid
  921. pertinacious – Tenacious
  922. pessary – A device for inserting into the vagina, either as a support for the uterus or (diaphragm pessary) to deliver a drug, such as a contraceptive
  923. petecure – Modest cooking; cooking on a small scale; the opposite of epicure
  924. petitio principii – A form of fallacious reasoning in which the conclusion has been assumed in the premises; begging the question
  925. petrichor – The distinctive smell given off by earth, rock, or pavement at the beginning of a rain after a period of warm, dry weather.
  926. Petronius – Roman courtier who is credited with writing the Satyricon
  927. pettifogging – 1. Dishonest or unethical in insignificant matters; meanly petty; mean; quibbling; 2. to engage in legal chicanery
  928. pettish – Ill-tempered; peevish (see shirty)
  929. phaeton – A light, four-wheeled open carriage, usually drawn by a pair of horses
  930. phalanstery – A self-sustaining cooperative community of the followers of Fourierism. Also called phalanx, or the buildings in such a community
  931. pharisaic – Of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pharisees
  932. philippic – A verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, often insulting language; a tirade
  933. phillumenist – A person who collects matchbox labels
  934. philogynist – A lover or friend of women; one who esteems woman as the higher type of humanity; antonym of misogynist
  935. phimosis – An abnormal constriction of the foreskin that prevents it from being drawn back to uncover the glans penis.
  936. phlebotomy – The act or practice of opening a vein to let or draw blood as a therapeutic or diagnostic measure
  937. phlegmatic – Having or suggesting a calm, sluggish temperament; unemotional or apathetic
  938. Phoebus – The sun
  939. phthisis – A disease characterized by the wasting away or atrophy of the body or a part of the body (e.g. pulmonary tuberculosis)
  940. phylactery – 1. A reminder or aid to remembering; 2. an amulet or charm (archaic); 3. either of the pair of blackened square cases containing parchments inscribed with biblical passages, bound by leather thongs to the head and left arm, and worn by Jewish men during weekday morning prayers (also called: Tefillah)
  941. phylogenetic – The evolutionary development and history of a species or trait of a species or of a higher taxonomic grouping of organisms
  942. piacular – Making expiation for sacrilege; wicked
  943. pibroch – A series of variations on a martial theme or traditional dirge for the highland bagpipes.
  944. pied-à-terre – A secondary or temporary place of lodging.
  945. pilchard – A small, S European marine fish, Sardina pilchardus, related to the herring but smaller and rounder
  946. pillock – A stupid or annoying person (chiefly British)
  947. pinchbeck – Appearing valuable, but actually cheap and tawdry
  948. pinnace – Any of various kinds of ship’s tender or boat
  949. piquant – Pleasantly sharp taste
  950. pirogue – Any of various kinds of dugout canoes; also called piragua
  951. piscatorial – Of or relating to fish, fishing, or fishermen
  952. pistic – Referring to or having a pure and genuine faith.
  953. plangent – Loud and resounding
  954. plastron – 1. A metal breastplate worn under a coat of mail; 2. a quilted pad worn by fencers to protect the torso and side; 3. The front of a man’s dress shirt; 4. the ventral part of the shell of a turtle or tortoise
  955. pleach – To plait or interlace (branches or vines, for example), esp. in making a hedge or an arbor (similar to caning for making chairs from same)
  956. pleiotropy – The phenomenon of one gene affecting more than one phenotypic characteristic
  957. plenteous – Ample; abundant; copious
  958. pleonasm – A newly created word
  959. pleroma – The state of total fullness or abundance, relating particularly to the nature of God
  960. pleura – A thin serous membrane in mammals that envelops each lung and folds back to make a lining for the chest cavity
  961. pleurisy – Inflammation of the pleura, characterized by pain that is aggravated by deep breathing or coughing
  962. Plimsoll mark – A load line painted on the side of a cargo ship
  963. plinth – A block or slab on which a pedestal, column, or statue is placed
  964. plover – Any shore bird of the family Charadriidae, typically having a round head, straight bill, and large pointed wings
  965. poetaster – A writer of insignificant, meretricious, or shoddy poetry
  966. poleaxe(n): An axe having a hammer face opposite the blade, used to slaughter cattle; v: To strike or fell with or as if with a poleaxe
  967. poleyn – Knee protection in a suit of armor
  968. polygyny – The condition or practice of having more than one wife at one time
  969. polymath – A person of great or varied learning
  970. pomace – The pulpy material remaining after the juice has been pressed from fruit, such as apples or grapes. Also called marc
  971. pomaceous – Of, relating to, bearing, or characteristic of pomes, especially apples.
  972. poignard – See poniard
  973. poniard – 1. A small, slender dagger; 2. a dagger typically having a slender three- or four-sided blade
  974. poplin – A ribbed fabric of silk, rayon, wool, or cotton, used in making clothing and upholstery
  975. posset – A drink of hot milk curdled with ale, beer, etc, flavoured with spices, formerly used as a remedy for colds
  976. postern – Secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall
  977. postillion – A person who guides a horse-drawn coach or post chaise while mounted on the horse or one of a pair of horses. By contrast, a coachman controls the horses from the vehicle itself.
  978. potash – Potassium carbonate, esp. the crude impure form obtained from wood ashes.
  979. pothouse – A small tavern or pub (chiefly British)
  980. potsherd – A broken pottery fragment, esp. one of archaeological value
  981. prang – 1. An accident or crash in an aircraft, car, etc; 2. to bomb from the air
  982. prattlement – Chatter, prattling
  983. precatory – Relating to or expressing entreaty or supplication. Relating to prayer.
  984. prefatory – Of, relating to, or constituting a preface
  985. prelapsarian – Of or relating to the period before the fall of Adam and Eve
  986. premonitory – Giving premonition; serving to warn beforehand
  987. prepossession – A prejudice or bias, esp. a favorable one
  988. presbyopia – A progressively diminishing ability of the eye to focus, noticeable from middle to old age, caused by loss of elasticity of the crystalline lens
  989. prescind – To separate in thought; abstract.
  990. preterite – 1. Bygone; former 2. A tense of verbs used to relate past action, formed in English by inflection of the verb, as jumped, swam
  991. primogeniture – The state of being the firstborn or eldest child of the same parents.
  992. primus inter pares – Literally (in Latin), first among equals
  993. procumbent – 1. Lying face down; prone. 2. In botany: trailing along the ground but not rooting
  994. prodrome – An early symptom indicating the onset of an attack or a disease.
  995. profligate – 1. Shamelessly immoral or debauched; 2. wildly extravagant or wasteful
  996. progeria – A rare genetic disorder of childhood that is characterized by rapid onset of the physical changes typical of old age, usually resulting in death before the age of 20
  997. prolegomenon – A preliminary discussion, especially a formal essay introducing a work of considerable length or complexity
  998. proleptic – 1. The anachronistic representation of something as existing before its proper or historical time, as in the precolonial United States; 2. the use of a descriptive word in anticipation of the act or circumstances that would make it applicable, as dry in They drained the lake dry
  999. prolix – Tediously prolonged; wordy; longwinded
  1000. prone – Lying flat or face downwards; prostrate
  1001. propaedeutic – Providing introductory instruction; preparatory instruction
  1002. propinquitous – Near; close in time, place or kinship (page 12 of Main Street)
  1003. propitious – Favorable; auguring well; gracious or favorably inclined
  1004. proprioception – Unconscious awareness of body movement, e.g. as the inner ear for balance (page 515 of Reamde)
  1005. proscenium – The area of a modern theater that is located between the curtain and the orchestra.
  1006. prosector – A person who prepares or dissects anatomical subjects for demonstration
  1007. prosopagnosia – An inability to recognize faces
  1008. prosopography – 1. description of a person’s life and career; 2. A study, often using statistics, that identifies and draws relationships between various characters or people within a specific historical, social, or literary context
  1009. prosopopoeia – Literary device involve an absent person speaking; personification; ascribing agency to an inanimate object or concept
  1010. protasis – The dependent clause of a conditional sentence (i.e. the “if” part)
  1011. protodialectical – Definition unknown (from Oblivion by David Foster Wallace) (dialectical means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments”)
  1012. psalmody – The act of singing psalms or hymns
  1013. psephology – The study of political elections and polling
  1014. psithurism – The whispering of leaves moved by the wind
  1015. psittacosis – A rickettsial disease affecting birds of the parrot family, pigeons, and domestic fowl, caused by the chlamydia Chlamydia psittaci and transmissible to humans
  1016. psychogenic – Having origin in the mind or in a mental condition or process
  1017. ptosis – Ptosis is the term used for a drooping upper eyelid
  1018. puericratic – [definition unknown] (from Oblivion by David Foster Wallace)
  1019. pugnacious – Combative in nature
  1020. pulchritude – Beauty
  1021. pullulate – To breed rapidly or abundantly
  1022. pulsion – The act of driving forward
  1023. punctilio – A fine point of etiquette
  1024. punnet – A small basket for fruit, such as strawberries
  1025. purblind – 1. Slow in understanding or discernment; dull 2. Having poor vision; nearly or partly blind
  1026. purdah – Muslim practice of screening women from other men or strangers
  1027. purlieus – An outlying or neighboring area; outskirts; environs
  1028. purslane – A trailing plant (Portulaca oleracea) native to Eurasia, having small yellow flowers, reddish stems, and fleshy obovate leaves that can be cooked as a vegetable or used in salads
  1029. purulent – Containing, discharging, or causing the production of pus
  1030. pusillanimous – Cowardly
  1031. putto – A representation of a small child, often naked and having wings, used especially in the art of the European Renaissance. Pl.: putti
  1032. pyaemia – Blood poisoning characterized by pus-forming microorganisms in the blood
  1033. quadrille – A square dance in 6/8 or 2/4 time of French origin, composed of five sections and performed by four couples.
  1034. quag – To shake (said of something that is soft or flabby)
  1035. quarto – The page size obtained by folding a whole sheet into four leaves.
  1036. quern – A simple hand mill for grinding grain, typically consisting of two stones
  1037. quiddity – 1. Essence of a thing; 2. a quibble
  1038. quidnunc – Busybody; Yenta
  1039. quiff – 1. A tuft of hair, esp. a forelock; 2. A woman regarded as promiscuous
  1040. quinquennial – Happening once every or lasting for five years.
  1041. quintain – A rotating target used in jousting exercises
  1042. quire – A set of twenty-four uniform sheets of paper
  1043. quirt – A riding whip with a short, stiff handle and a lash made of two or more loose thongs
  1044. quit-rent – Payment for distinct rights that were connected with the full enjoyment of the land but not parceled up in the ownership of the land (mostly replaced with property taxes today)
  1045. quoin – An exterior angle of a wall or other piece of masonry
  1046. quokka – A short-tailed herbivorous marsupial (Setonix brachyurus) found in coastal areas of southwestAustralia
  1047. quondam – Former
  1048. raceme – A flower cluster in which each flower grows on its own stalk from a common stem. The lily of the valley and snapdragon have racemes.
  1049. racketeering – A person who engages in an illegal business or other organized illegal activities
  1050. raddled – Twisted together; interwoven
  1051. radome – A domelike shell transparent to radio-frequency radiation, used to house a radar antenna
  1052. raillery – Good-natured teasing or ridicule; banter
  1053. ramify – To have complicating consequences or outgrowths; to send out branches or subordinate branchlike parts.
  1054. ramose – Having many branches
  1055. ravel – 1. To separate the fibers or threads of; to unravel; 2. To tangle or complicate
  1056. rawboned – Having a lean, gaunt frame with prominent bones
  1057. Reaumurarchaic: a temperature scale with the freezing point of water at 80º.
  1058. rebarbative – Tending to irritate; repellent
  1059. rebeck – Medieval instrument; a lute-like violin
  1060. recondite – Obscure; abstruse
  1061. recreant – 1. A faithless or disloyal person; 2. A coward
  1062. recrudescent – To break out anew or come into renewed activity, as after a period of quiescence
  1063. recumbentibus – A knockdown blow
  1064. redolent – Suggestive
  1065. reef – A vein of ore
  1066. relict – 1. Something that has survived; a remnant 2. A species that inhabits a much smaller geographic area than it did in the past, often because of environmental change
  1067. reliquary – A receptacle, such as a coffer or shrine, for keeping or displaying sacred relics
  1068. renascent – Becoming active or vigorous again
  1069. reperfusion – The restoration of blood flow to an organ or tissue that has had its blood supply cut off, as after a heart attack.
  1070. repine – To be discontented or low in spirits; complain or fret; to yearn after something
  1071. retromingent – One who urinates backwards
  1072. retronym – A new word coined for an existing or older thing to distinguish it from something newer or more recent (e.g. analog watch or electric guitar)
  1073. retropulsion – An abnormal tendency to walk backwards: a symptom of Parkinson’s disease
  1074. revanchism – The act of retaliating, esp. by a nation or group to regain lost territory or standing; revenge
  1075. revenant – 1. One that returns after a lengthy absence; 2. One who returns after death
  1076. revetments – 1. A facing, as of masonry, used to support an embankment; 2. A barricade against explosives
  1077. Rhadamanthine – Strictly and uncompromisingly just
  1078. rhonchus – A snore or chest rattle
  1079. rhotacism – Difficulty pronouncing r sounds
  1080. riprap – Piled broken stones used as a foundation or to stabilize an easily eroded bank or slope
  1081. risible – 1. Eliciting laughter; ludicrous 2. capable of laughing or inclined to laugh
  1082. Risorgimento – The period of or the movement for the liberation and political unification of Italy, beginning about 1750 and lasting until 1870 (from the Italian for “resurgence”)
  1083. roman à clef – A novel in which actual persons, places, or events are depicted in fictional guise
  1084. rosser – A bark-removing machine
  1085. rota – A work schedule
  1086. roué – A man who recklessly indulges in sensual pleasures; a rake
  1087. roundel – A circular architectural or decorative element, such as a painted panel or a stained glass window.
  1088. roundelay – A poem or song with a regularly recurring refrain (as much popular music)
  1089. rumbustiousness – Uncontrollably exuberant; unruly
  1090. Ruritanian – Of or relating to an imagined European kingdom characterized by provincialism, nationalism, and political intrigue; used in discussions of international law or economic theory
  1091. rusk – A light, soft-textured sweetened biscuit
  1092. sabine – A member of an ancient people of central Italy, conquered and assimilated by the Romans in 290 bc.
  1093. Sadhu – A person who dedicates themself to the pursuit of enlightenment through a life of isolation, self-deprivation, and feats of physical endurance.
  1094. Saiva – One who worships Shiva
  1095. sacerdotalism – The belief that priests act as mediators between God and humans.
  1096. Salesian – Of or relating to St Francis of Sales or to the religious orders founded by him or by St John Bosco in his name
  1097. salmagundi – A mixture; a potpourri
  1098. saltire – A cross in heraldry
  1099. saltpeter – Naturally occurring potassium nitrate, used in making fireworks, gunpowder
  1100. salubrious – Wholesome; healthy
  1101. salvific – Having the intention or power to bring about salvation or redemption
  1102. salwar – Loose pajamalike pants, typically having a drawstring waist and legs that narrow at the bottom, usually worn with a kameez
  1103. samizdat – Underground newspaper (from the Russian)
  1104. samphire – An edible coastal plant (Crithmum maritimum) in the parsley family, native to Eurasia (see glasswort)
  1105. samsara – The eternal cycle of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth (in Hinduism or Buddhism)
  1106. sanguine – Cheerfully optimistic
  1107. sanicle – Any plant belonging to the genus Sanicula, of the parsley family, as S. marilandica, of North America, used in medicine.
  1108. sapper – 1. A military engineer who lays, detects, and disarms mines; 2. a soldier who digs trenches
  1109. Sapphism – Lesbianism
  1110. Sassanian – Of or relating to a Persian dynasty (AD 224-651) and the last line of Persian kings before the Arab conquest.
  1111. sastrugi – A long wavelike ridge of snow, formed by the wind and found on the polar plains
  1112. satori – A spiritual awakening sought in Zen Buddhism, often coming suddenly
  1113. satrap – Governor of a province in ancient Persia
  1114. satrapy – The territory or sphere under the rule of a satrap
  1115. satsuma – A seedless mandarin orange originally cultivated in Japan.
  1116. saturnine – Slow and gloomy; morose
  1117. sawyer – A bobbing tree in a body of water
  1118. scansion – Analysis of verse into metrical patterns.
  1119. scapular – A monk’s sleeveless outer garment that hangs from the shoulders and sometimes has a cowl
  1120. schtum – Silent (from the German stumm)
  1121. sciatheric – Belonging to a sundial
  1122. scienter – Knowledge that one’s actions are wrong or contrary to law, where such knowledge is an element of a criminal offense or a basis for liability.
  1123. sciolist – A pretentious attitude of scholarship; superficial knowledgeability
  1124. scordatura – The technique of altering the normal tuning of a stringed instrument to produce particular effects.
  1125. scoria – Porous cinderlike fragments of dark lava. Also called cinders, slag
  1126. scoriatic – Cinder- or slag-like; rocky, craggy
  1127. scotophliic – Functioning best in darkness
  1128. scourge – A whip or lash
  1129. scramasax – A single-edged knife or sword used by the Anglo-Saxons
  1130. scringe – To shrug the back or shoulders from cold
  1131. scripturient – Having a strong urge to write
  1132. scrouge – To inconvenience or discomfort a person by pressing against him or her or by standing too close
  1133. searce – To sift (obsolete)
  1134. sebum – The semifluid secretion of the sebaceous glands, consisting chiefly of fat, keratin, and cellular material
  1135. secondment – Temporary transfer to another position or employment
  1136. sedulously – Assiduous; constant in effort; persevering (from A very short history of driving while black)
  1137. seigneur – A man of rank, esp. a feudal lord in the ancien régime
  1138. seigniorage – Revenue or a profit taken from the minting of coins
  1139. seine – A fishing net or the act of using one (page 653 of Reamde)
  1140. semiotics – The study of systems of communication
  1141. sempiternal – Infinite; enduring forever
  1142. sempstress – A rare word for seamstress
  1143. seneschal – A steward or major-domo (in charge of servants)
  1144. sententious – Given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner
  1145. septentrional – Of the north; Germanic; used mostly on maps
  1146. sepulchritude – Tomb-like; also, sepulchral
  1147. sequacious – Unthinking and uncritical; slavish
  1148. sequela – A secondary consequence or result; condition resulting from a disease
  1149. serotype – A group of closely related microorganisms distinguished by a characteristic set of antigens
  1150. sesquipedalian – Given to using long words
  1151. shako – A stiff, cylindrical military dress hat with a metal plate or badge in front, a short visor, and a plume or pompom
  1152. sheela na gig – Figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva.
  1153. shibboleth – 1. An inappropriate or outdated custom; 2. A word or pronunciation that distinguishes people of one group or class from those of another
  1154. shiplap – Wooden siding rabbeted so that the edge of one board overlaps the one next to it in a flush joint.
  1155. shirty – Ill-tempered; angry
  1156. shockheaded – Having a head of bushy or tousled hair
  1157. shotcrete – Concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface.
  1158. shufti – A quick look around
  1159. sibilent – Hissing sound
  1160. sine qua non – An essential element or condition
  1161. singultus – A hiccup
  1162. skittles – Nine-pin bowling
  1163. slub – A soft thick nub in yarn that is either an imperfection or purposely set for a desired effect.
  1164. slunk – A prematurely born calf or other animal
  1165. snarge – A collision of an aircraft with a bird (or the remnants thereof)
  1166. soca – A style of music, originating in the West Indies, that is a blend of soul and calypso
  1167. sociolects – A language variety that is associated with a specific social group (e.g. a profession-specific argot)
  1168. sockdolager – Something outstanding; a final blow or remark, coup de grace
  1169. sodality – Fellowship; fraternity; association; society
  1170. sonic – Relating to or containing sodium
  1171. soi-disant – Self-styled; so-called
  1172. solastalgia – A form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change
  1173. solecism – A grammatical error; more generously, a non-standard usage
  1174. solon – A legislator
  1175. somatically – Corporeal or physical; of, relating to, or affecting the body, esp. as distinguished from a body part, the mind, or the environment
  1176. somaticize – To convert (anxiety) into physical symptoms.
  1177. sommian – A volcanic caldera that has been partially filled by a new central cone
  1178. soteriological – The branch of theology dealing with the nature and means of salvation.
  1179. soviet – One of the popularly elected legislative assemblies that were created after the Russian Revolution (1917) and existed at local, regional, and national levels in the former Soviet Union.
  1180. sozzled – Intoxicated; drunk
  1181. spadix – A fleshy clublike spike bearing minute flowers, usually enclosed within a sheathlike spathe, characteristic of aroid plants such as the jack-in-the-pulpit
  1182. spall – A chip, fragment, or flake from a piece of stone or ore
  1183. spanandry – Scarcity of males in a population.
  1184. spandrel – The roughly triangular space between the left or right exterior curve of an arch and the rectangular framework surrounding it.
  1185. sparge – 1. To spray or sprinkle; 2. To run additional water through (a partly or completely drained mash) to extract more fermentable sugars; 3. To introduce air or gas into (a liquid)
  1186. spatchcock – To prepare for roasting or grilling by splitting open
  1187. spathe – A leaflike bract that encloses or subtends a flower cluster or spadix, as in the jack-in-the-pulpit
  1188. spatterdashes – Long leather leggings worn in the 18th century, as to protect from mud when riding
  1189. spavined – Decrepit or worn out
  1190. speculum – 1. A mirror or polished metal plate used as a reflector in optical instruments; 2. An instrument for dilating the opening of a body cavity for medical examination; 3. A bright, often iridescent patch of color on the wings of certain birds, esp. ducks 4. A transparent spot in the wings of some butterflies or moths.
  1191. spinel – A hard, glassy mineral composed of magnesium-aluminum oxide found in metamorphosed limestones and many basic and ultrabasic igneous rocks
  1192. spinet – A small, compact upright piano
  1193. spitchcock – An eel split and grilled or fried; see spatchcock
  1194. sporran – A leather or fur pouch worn at the front of the kilt in the traditional dress of men of the Scottish Highlands
  1195. sprezzatura – Studied nonchalance; graceful conduct or performance without apparent effort
  1196. sprue – 1. The hole through which molten material is channeled into a mold; 2. The usually plastic rod or framework that secures molded objects, such as model parts
  1197. squamous – Covered with or formed of scales; scaly
  1198. squiffy – Intoxicated; drunk
  1199. squireen – A pretty squire
  1200. staggers – Any of various diseases in animals, esp. horses, cattle, or other domestic animals, that are characterized by a lack of coordination in moving
  1201. stele – An upright stone or slab with an inscribed or sculptured surface, used as a monument or as a commemorative tablet in the face of a building.
  1202. stenosis – A constriction or narrowing of a duct or passage; a stricture.
  1203. stochastic – Of, relating to, or characterized by conjecture; Involving or containing a random variable or process
  1204. stolon – A long thin stem that usually grows horizontally along the ground and produces roots and shoots at widely spaced nodes, as in a strawberry plant. Also called runner.
  1205. stook – A group of sheaves of grain stood on end in a field
  1206. stot – To jump straight up with straight legs (e.g. antelope)
  1207. stoush – A fight or brawl
  1208. strabismus – The condition of being cross-eyed
  1209. strath – A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow
  1210. Strega – The Italian word for witch
  1211. stridulate – To produce a shrill grating, chirping, or hissing sound by rubbing body parts together, as certain insects do
  1212. stroppy – Bad-tempered and argumentative
  1213. stylobate – The immediate foundation of a row of classical columns
  1214. suasion – Persuasion
  1215. subaltern – A person of inferior rank or position
  1216. subfusc – 1. Of a dark, dull, or somber color; 2. Dark, dull clothing.
  1217. subtiliation – 1. The act of making something thin, rare, or subtile; 2. To think subtly
  1218. succussation – Trotting, shaking
  1219. Suetonius – Roman historian whose major work, Lives of the Caesars, is an account of the lives of the first 12 Roman emperors
  1220. sui generis – Unique
  1221. Sukkot – A harvest festival commemorating the booths in which the Israelites resided during their 40 years in the wilderness
  1222. sumptuary – Laws or limits on private expenses
  1223. supererogation – Doing more than required
  1224. supernacular – First-rate
  1225. supernumerary – 1. One that is in excess of the regular, necessary, or usual number; 2. An actor without a speaking part, as one who appears in a crowd scene.
  1226. supersedure – Replacement of an old or diseased queen bee with a new one.
  1227. supine – Lying on the back or having the face upward
  1228. surfactant – A substance, such as detergent, that is added to a liquid to increase its ability to spread.
  1229. sweetmeat – A sweet delicacy, such as a piece of candy or crystallized fruit
  1230. swingeing – Extreme in effect; drastic
  1231. swot – To cram; derogatory term for a person who crams
  1232. syce – A stableman or groom, esp. in India
  1233. syenite – An igneous rock composed primarily of alkali feldspar together with other minerals, such as hornblende
  1234. syllepsis – See zeugma
  1235. sylph – A slim, graceful woman or girl.
  1236. sympatetic – A walking companion
  1237. syncope – 1. The shortening of a word by omission of a sound, letter, or syllable from the middle of the word; for example, bos’n for boatswain.2. A brief loss of consciousness caused by inadequate blood flow to the brain.
  1238. syncretic – 1. Reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief, as in philosophy or religion, esp. when success is partial or the result is heterogeneous; 2. The merging of two or more originally different inflectional forms in linguistics.
  1239. synecdoche – A trope whereby a part is used as a label for the whole (e.g. “hand” for “sailor”); see metonymy
  1240. tabard – A tunic or capelike garment worn by a knight over his armor and emblazoned with his coat of arms
  1241. tabes – A wasting of a bodily organ or part
  1242. tacenda – Things not to be mentioned; matters that are passed over in silence
  1243. tallboy – A high chest of drawers made in two sections and placed one on top of the other; chest-on-chest
  1244. talmudic – Related to the collection of ancient Rabbinic writings constituting the basis of religious authority in Orthodox Judaism
  1245. tamarisk – Any shrub or small tree having small scalelike or needle-shaped leaves and feathery racemes of small white or pinkish flowers
  1246. tangible – Discernible by the touch; palpable
  1247. taphonomic – The study of the events and processes, such as burial in sediment, transportation, and decomposition, that affect the remains of an organism after it dies.
  1248. tapotement – Rapid massage
  1249. tarpon – Either of two large marine game fishes having a bluish-green back and silvery sides (Megalops cyprinoides of the Pacific and Indian Oceans or M. atlanticus of Atlantic coastal waters)
  1250. Tartaros – The abysmal regions below Hades where the Titans were confined.
  1251. tegument – A natural outer covering; an integument
  1252. Telemachus – The son of Odysseus and Penelope, who helped his father kill Penelope’s suitors
  1253. teleology – The philosophical interpretation of natural phenomena as exhibiting purpose or design
  1254. telluric – Of or relating to Earth; terrestrial
  1255. telluride – A chemical compound of tellurium and another element.
  1256. telos – End of a goal-oriented process
  1257. temerarious – In an audacious manner
  1258. tempera – A painting medium in which pigment is mixed with water-soluble glutinous materials such as size or egg yolk
  1259. tendentious – Partisan; marked by or favoring a particular point of view
  1260. tenebrous – Dark and gloomy
  1261. tensegrity – An architectural technique that involves tensional integrity or floating compression (see Wikipedia)
  1262. tephra – Solid matter that is ejected into the air by an erupting volcano
  1263. tergiversate – To use evasions or ambiguities; to evade, to equivocate using subterfuge; to deliberately obfuscate.
  1264. termagant – A scold; a shrew
  1265. thaumaturgic – The working of miracles or magic feats
  1266. theodicy – A vindication of God’s goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil
  1267. theodolite – A surveying instrument
  1268. theophany – An appearance of a god to a human; a divine manifestation
  1269. theriac – An ointment or potion of varying composition, used as an antidote to a poison
  1270. throstle – 1. Any of various thrushes, esp. a song thrush; 2. A machine formerly used for spinning fibers such as cotton or wool
  1271. thurible – A censer used in certain ecclesiastical ceremonies or liturgies
  1272. thylacine – Tasmanian tiger; an extinct or very rare doglike carnivorous marsupial
  1273. tilth – 1. Tilled earth; 2. The fitness of soil for cultivation, as measured by its structure and composition.
  1274. tippet – A scarf-like narrow piece of clothing, worn over the shoulders
  1275. tipstaff – 1. A staff tipped with metal, formerly carried as a badge of office, as by a constable; 2. any official who carried such a staff
  1276. titivate – To decorate or spruce up
  1277. tittle – 1. A small diacritic mark, such as an accent, vowel mark, or dot over an i. 2. The tiniest bit; an iota
  1278. tocsin – An alarm sounded on a bell
  1279. tontine – A common fund with increasing annuity for each member’s death and the last living member gets everything
  1280. toothsome – Delicious, luscious, pleasant, attractive, sexually attractive or exciting
  1281. topolect – The language or speech of a particular place (e.g. Züridütsch)
  1282. torpid – Mentally or physically inactive; lethargic
  1283. torrid – 1. Parched with the heat of the sun; intensely hot; 2. Passionate; ardent
  1284. tosh – Rubbish; nonsense
  1285. tournure – Implement to expand a dress; a bustle
  1286. towhee – A strikingly marked, oversized sparrow of the East, feathered in bold black and warm reddish-browns
  1287. toxophily – Archery; toxophilite: A student or lover of archery
  1288. tracklement – Savory jelly served with meat
  1289. traduction – A transmission or communication; a translation into a different language
  1290. transducer – Any device, such as a microphone or electric motor, that converts one form of energy into another
  1291. tref – Unfit to be eaten; not kosher (corresponds to haram or not halal in Islam)
  1292. trenchant – Clear-cut; forceful or convincing
  1293. trepidation – A state of alarm or dread; apprehension
  1294. tressure – A narrow inner border on a shield, usually decorated with fleurs-de-lys
  1295. trews – Trousers; chiefly British
  1296. tricontagon – A closed plane figure bounded by three or more line segments.
  1297. tripe – Something of no value; rubbish
  1298. trope – Metaphor or non-literal figure of speech
  1299. trow – To think or suppose
  1300. truckle – 1. A small wheel/caster; 2. to be servile
  1301. truckling – To be servile or submissive
  1302. trug – A shallow, usually oval gardening basket made with wide strips of wood
  1303. trull – A woman prostitute.
  1304. trypophobia – An intense, irrational fear of objects with small holes
  1305. tsuris – Problems or difficulties (Yiddish)
  1306. tumid – 1. Swollen; distended. Used of a body part or organ; 2. Of a bulging shape; protuberant; 3. Overblown; bombastic
  1307. tumulus – An ancient grave mound; a barrow (pl. tumuli)
  1308. turnkey – Supplied, installed, or purchased in a condition ready for immediate use, occupation, or operation
  1309. tutoyer – To speak to (someone) on familiar terms
  1310. tympany – Excessive pride or arrogance; inflated manner or style; bombast.
  1311. ukase – An authoritative order or decree; an edict
  1312. ultracrepidarianism – The habit of giving opinions and advice on matters outside of one’s knowledge or competence.
  1313. unasinous – Sharing the same amount of stupidity; displaying ignorance or foolishness by all.
  1314. unction – Something that serves to soothe; a balm
  1315. unctuous – Excessively ingratiating or insincerely earnest; oily
  1316. undecillion – The cardinal number equal to 1036; British: 1066
  1317. undisonant – Making the sound of waves
  1318. usquebaugh – Whiskey
  1319. usufruct – Right to use the property of others
  1320. uxorious – Love of or submission to one’s wife
  1321. vade mecum – 1. A useful thing that one constantly carries about; 2. A book, such as a guidebook, for ready reference.
  1322. vair – Red-squirrel fur; often used a trimming
  1323. valetudinarian – 1. Chronically ailing; sickly; 2. Constantly and morbidly concerned with one’s health
  1324. vambrace – Forearm armor
  1325. vastation – Quick destruction; from the Italian vastare.
  1326. vatic – Of or characteristic of a prophet; oracular (see veridical)
  1327. vecturist – A collector of tokens used in buses and subways
  1328. veisalgia – A hangover (from the Norwegian for “suffering after debauchery”)
  1329. vellum – A fine parchment made from calfskin, lambskin, or kidskin and used for the pages and binding of books
  1330. venal – Open to bribery; mercenary
  1331. venery – The indulgence in or pursuit of sexual activity
  1332. venire – The panel of prospective jurors from which a jury is selected
  1333. venule – A small vein, especially one joining capillaries to larger veins.
  1334. verdigris – A green patina or crust of copper sulfate or copper chloride formed on copper, brass, and bronze exposed to air or seawater for long periods of time
  1335. veridical – 1. Truthful; veracious; 2. Coinciding with future events or apparently unknowable present realities (see vatic)
  1336. verisimilitude – Believable; appearing to be true
  1337. vermian – Resembling or of the nature of a worm; of or relating to worms.
  1338. vermilion – Brilliant or vivid red (also written vermillion)
  1339. vernacular – 1. The everyday language spoken by a people as distinguished from the literary language 2. Built in the local style of ordinary houses, rather than a grand architectural style
  1340. versipellous – Changeable, protean
  1341. vesicle – A sac or cyst, esp. one containing fluid
  1342. vespertine – Of, relating to, or occurring in the evening (e.g. active or blooming in the evening)
  1343. vetch – Any of several climbing plants of the legume family, bearing pea-like flowers
  1344. vicambulist – One who walks about in the streets
  1345. vicissitude – Alternation between opposite or contrasting things
  1346. vigorish – 1. A fee charged for the placement of bets by an illegal gambling broker or establishment; 2. Frequent and excessive interest payments charged by an illegal moneylender
  1347. villein – One of a class of feudal serfs who held the legal status of freemen in their dealings with all people except their lord
  1348. vinous – 1. Of, relating to, or made with wine; 2. Having the color of wine
  1349. violaceous – Of a violet color; reddish blue
  1350. virago – 1. A woman regarded as noisy, scolding, or domineering; 2. A large, strong, courageous woman
  1351. vitiate – Spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of
  1352. voivode – A Slavic military commander or a governor of a town or province in parts of SE Europe
  1353. volvulus – Abnormal twisting of the intestine causing obstruction
  1354. wale – One of the heavy planks or strakes extending along the sides of a wooden ship
  1355. weeper – A hole or pipe in a wall to allow water to run off
  1356. whelm – To cover with water; submerge
  1357. whin – Any spiny European evergreen shrub having rudimentary leaves and yellow flowers (also called gorse or furze)
  1358. whipping boy – Scapegoat; a boy formerly raised with a prince or other young nobleman and whipped for the latter’s misdeeds
  1359. white goods – Large appliances, like refrigerators and washing machines; compare to brown goods, which are TVs, radios, etc.
  1360. widdershins – In a contrary or counterclockwise direction
  1361. windlestraw – A thin, dried stalk of grass.
  1362. withe – Also withy; a tough, supple twig, used to bind
  1363. woad – An annual Eurasian plant (Isatis tinctoria) in the mustard family, formerly cultivated for its leaves that yield a blue dye.
  1364. xenium – A gift given to a guest
  1365. yegg – A thief, especially a burglar or safecracker
  1366. yonic – Related the vagina, esp. religious rel. to Shakti
  1367. zazen – The primary form of meditation in Zen Buddhism, practiced while sitting cross-legged
  1368. zeugma – When a word applies to two others in jarringly different ways (e.g. John and his license expired yesterday.)
  1369. zoetrope – A mechanical device consisting of a rotating drum ringed with narrow apertures through which an animated image is viewed