Learn English Vocabulary - via Word of the Day

natal [ NEYT-l ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. accompanying or pertaining to one's birth
2. related to one's birthplace or time of birth
3. nativeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Natal injuries while giving birth meant that the mother had to remain in hospital for many days.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Reipurth figures the star is a relative newborn, deeply embedded in its own natal cloud.

askance [ uh'-SKANS ][ adverb ]MEANING :1. glance obliquely or sideways
2. to observe suspiciouslyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He looked askance at the man approaching him.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :No longer does society look askance at single parents who might be so as they never married, or are divorced or lost a partner.
The Times Of India, Parent Parochialism, 19 Sep 2008

epicure [ EP-i-kyoo' r ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a connoisseur of food and wine
2. one who enjoys sensual pleasure and livingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :London is an epicure's delight with restaurants serving varied cuisine from all over the world.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Proof that Montreal is an epicure's dream: Les Touilleurs (152 Ave. Laurier Ouest; 514/278-0008) in Mile End, where marble counters are piled with cooking implements, including Quebecer Tom Littledeer's maple spoons and spatulas.

enjoin [ en-JOIN ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to prescribe or impose authoritatively
2. to prevent, prohibit or refrain by a judicial orderUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The Prime minister would do well to enjoin the media from sensationalising the race hate crimes against Indians in Australia.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :I enjoin the media, the fans and players to give maximum support to the Super Eagles because that is what they need to succeed.

foist [ foist ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to insert or introduce fraudulently
2. to pass off something fake as something genuine
3. to impose without proper justificationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The US invaded Iraq in 1993 after the CIA attempted to foist a nuclear proliferation charge against the Saddam Hussein regime.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :When he made it mandatory for all teachers and students of ABE schools to show up on the morning of August 15, a few teachers actually protested the decision with lawyers’ notices stating that Independence Day was a public holiday and the board could not foist them with flag hoisting.

amoral [ ey-MAWR-uh' l, a-MAWR-, ey-MOR-, a-MOR- ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. one who is neither moral nor immoral
2. unaware of, or not caring about right or wrongUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :His amoral nature made him a good mercenary.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Bishop Nazir-Ali blamed the turmoil in the world’s financial markets on amoral forces and warned that one of the "great disparities" of our age was the gap between rich and poor.

emend [ i-mend ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to edit and remove errors
2. to change erroneous faultsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :To emend and proof read text calls for large doses of patience and diligence.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :There is a perpetual succession of editions with augmented if not emended intelligence so as to secure for every post through which it is sent out the latest news from every source.

elicit [ i-LIS-it ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :to bring out, educe, evoke or arrive atUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Illegal migration from Bangladesh into India numbers in the millions but it barely elicits any mention in the major Indian newspapers.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Routine violence there exceeds anything seen in Bangkok, but it elicits barely a peep from the news media in the Thai capital.

fitful [ FIT-fuh' l ][ adjective ]MEANING :erratic, intermittent or irregularUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Scoring high marks in the CAT examination calls for more than just a fitful effort.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The hostile reaction to that plan seems to have reassured Mr Voronin that the West’s sometimes fitful support can still be relied on.

affront [ uh'-FRUHNT ][ noun, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr.v.) to insult intentionally and openly
2. (n.) an offence to one's dignityUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :It does not take much to be affronted by the vicious gossip that is being spread around. USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The judge said Nifong's withholding of DNA evidence from defense attorneys was an affront to the integrity of the judicial system.

abomination [ uh'-bom-uh'-NEY-shuh'n ][ noun ]MEANING :1. abhorrence, detestation or disgust
2. the cause of abhorrence or wickednessUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The corruption among the police forces who are supposedly the guardians and protectors of citizens of our country is an abomination.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :There was the abomination of rights-abusing countries such as Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia and Cuba gaining leadership positions on the Human Rights Commission.

disdain [ dis-DEYN, di-STEYN ][ noun, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) a feeling of hate or contempt
2. (tr. v.)to treat contemptuously or scornfully
3. (tr.v.) to regard as inferior or unworthy of taking notice ofUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :His overtures to her were met with disdain.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :In a more controlled environment like debates he can get exasperated and has no problem showing his disdain for certain rivals -- most notably Mitt Romney during the Republican primary debates.

goad [ gohd ][ noun, intransitive verb ]MEANING :1. (intr. v.) to provoke, prod or urge into action
2. (n.) a stimulus or a painful object used to urgeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Shepherds in Scotland use a goad to drive cattle.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Polo gave to the age of exploration that followed the marvels of the East, the strange customs, the fabulous riches, the tribes with gold teeth. It was a Book of Dreams, an incentive, a goad.