Learn English Vocabulary - via Word of the Day

Archaic [ ahr-KEY-ik ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. marked by the characteristics of an ancient period or primitive
2. not current or applicable any longer
3. relating to words and language that were once in regular use but are now rarely used and are suggestive of an earlier styleUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The town's council was in the process of doing away with the archaic rules of governance that were no longer relevant.

Betroth [ bi-TROHTH, -TRAWTH  ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to promise to give in marriage
2. (tr. v.) to promise to marry
3. (tr. v.) to arrange for the marriage ofUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He was happy to be betrothed to the only daughter of a rich industrialist.

Annotate [ AN-uh'-teyt ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to give explanatory notes or comment upon in notes
2. (tr. v.) to provide critical commentary
3. (intr. v.) to gloss a text or interpret a textUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The teacher explained to the students how they should annotate the lesson.

Catharsis [ kuh'-THAHR-sis ][ noun ]MEANING :1. an experience of emotional release and purification or a figurative cleansing of the emotions
2. the cleansing of the digestive system by evacuation of the bowels
3. the technique of relieving tension and anxiety by bringing repressed feelings and fears to consciousnessUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He decide to vent his feelings in a form of catharsis.

Deputize [ DEP-yuh'-tahyz ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to appoint as a deputy or to empowered to act for another
2. (intr. v.) to act as a deputyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Before proceeding on leave, the general manager deputized the most sincere, hard working and efficient executive to keep things going until his return.

Ravage [ RAV-ij ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to devastate or bring heavy destruction upon
2. (tr. v.) to wreak havoc upon
3. (tr. v.) to plunder
4. (intr. v.) to cause destruction
5. (n.) serious damage
6. (n.) the act of plunderingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The village and crops were ravaged by the storm.

Resuscitate [ ri-SUHS-i-teyt ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to revive from unconsciousness or from apparent death
2. (tr. v.) to restore to consciousness
3. (intr. v.) to regain consciousnessUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Paramedics resuscitated her as soon as the lifeguard brought her ashore.

Sedentary [ SED-n-ter-ee ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. characterized by remaining in one place or not moving about
2. accustomed to rest a great deal or to take little exercise
3. having or requiring a sitting postureUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The physiotherapist told him that his backache was due to his sedentary job.

Liaison [ lee-ey-ZAWN, LEE-uh'-zon; lee-EY-zuhn; Fr. lye-ZAWN ][ noun ]MEANING :1. the contact maintained by communications between units of the armed forces in order to ensure concerted action
2. anyone who initiates and maintains contact between two sides or a go-between or an intermediary
3. an illicit sexual relationship or an adulterous relationshipUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The radio officer had provided efficient liaison between the commanding officers of the units engaged in the two pronged attack.

Confound [ kon-FOUN-did ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. confused or bewildered
2. damned (euphemistic usage)
3. to cause to become confused or bewildered
4. to mix up
5. to make a bad thing worseUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He was confounded by the mannerisms of the tribesmen.

Occult [ uh-KUHLT, OK-uh'lt  ][ noun, verb, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) pertaining to supernatural influences or mystical phenomena
2. (adj.) beyond the realm of human understanding
3. (adj.) concealed or hidden
4. (n.) the studies or sciences of the supernatural
5. (tr. v.) to conceal or hide from viewUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He read many books on the occult and found it to be a challenging subject.

Emaciated [ ih-MEY-shee-ey-tid  ][ verb, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) being abnormally lean and thin
2. (adj.) marked by being gaunt or haggard
3. (v.) to make or become very thin as by starvationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The emaciated bodies of the people who had died of famine were piled up and cremated.

Insatiable [ in-SEY-shuh'-buh'l, -shee-uh-  ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. incapable of being appeased
2. cannot be satisfiedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He had an insatiable desire to collect rare stamps.

Bizarre [ bih-ZAHR  ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. far-fetched or strikingly unconventional
2. odd, weird, eccentric or outrageously strange
3. having a markedly unusual general characterUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He won the story telling competition as his tale was the most bizarre.

Hyperbole [ hahy-PUR-buh'-lee  ][ noun ]MEANING :1. an intentional exaggeration that is quite obvious
2. a figure of speech or an extravagant statement which is not intended to be taken literally
3. a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasisUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The professor made liberal use of hyperbole to illustrate his point.

Despot [ DES-puh't, -pot  ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a tyrant
2. one who wields power oppressively
3. a ruler with absolute power or a Byzantine emperorUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The despot had put to death all those who dared to oppose him.

Sylvan [ SIL-vuh'n  ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) pertaining to, consisting of or abounding in the trees
2. (adj.) living in the woods
3. (n.) a person who dwells in the woods
4. (n.) the spirit of the woodsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The children were warned that if they misbehaved sylvan creatures would come out of the woods and carry them away.

Aberrant [ uh'-BER-uh'nt  ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) departing from the normal or usual course
2. (adj.) deviating from the ordinary or abnormal
3. (n.) an abnormal person or group or a thing that deviates from the normalUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The class teacher immediately reported the aberrant behaviour of the child to the principal.

Generic [ juh'-NER-ik  ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) general or pertaining to all the numbers of a genus
2. (adj.) referring or applicable to both male and female
3. (adj.) not having trademark registration
4. (n.) a term that is general in nature
5. (n.) a wine made from two or more varieties of grapes and does not carry the name of any specific grapeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Basmati has become a generic name for long grained aromatic rice after the declaration of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Leash [ leesh  ][ noun, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) strap attached to the collar or harness of an animal
2. (n.) a restraint or control
3. (n.) a threesome or a group of three
4. (tr. v.) to restrain or control
5. (tr. v.) to connect, associate or bind togetherUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :When walking the dog in the park, he always kept it on a short leash.

Psychosomatic [ sahy-koh-suh'-MAT-ik  ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. pertaining to a physical disorder that is caused by emotional factors
2. involving both the mind and the bodyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Every time his mother-in-law came to visit he would suffer from severe psychosomatic back pain.

Piquant [ PEE-kuh’ nt, -kahnt, pee-KAHNT ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. spicy or pleasantly pungent
2. interesting, intriguing, charming or appealing
3. engagingly provocative or lively
4. (archaic) stinging or hurting to feelingsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The piquant taste of the cuisine adds to its appeal.

Massacre [  MAS-uh'-ker  ][ noun, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) the act of indiscriminate mass killing
2. (tr. v.) to slay indiscriminatelyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The massacre at the hands of the British officials remained etched in the minds of those who lost their dear ones, even after more than two decades.

Amplify [ AM-pluh'-fahy ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr.v.) to enlarge, extend or increase
2. (tr.v.) to develop, exaggerate or expand with illustrations and ideas
3. (tr.v.) (electronics) to boost the amplitude of a signal
4. (intr.v.) to expand or expatiate one's thoughts with illustrationsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The sound was amplified so it could be heard all over the campus.

Platonic [ pluh’-TON-ik, pley- ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. characteristic of or pertaining to Plato
2. pertaining to or characteristic of a relationship that is non-sexual
3. nominal, theoretical or speculativeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Theirs was a platonic relationship built on trust and mutual admiration.

Construe [ v. kuh'n-STROO or, especially Brit., KON-stroo; n. KON-stroo ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to explain the meaning or intention of
2. (tr. v.) to interpret or deduce by inference
3. (tr. v.) to analyze the syntax of or to arrange syntactically words or phrases
4. (intr. v.) to be subject to grammatical analysis
5. (n.) an interpretation or translation
3.(n.) the act of explainingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :People construed that he was antisocial by the glowering look on his face.

Susceptible [ suh'-SEP-tuh'-buh'l ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. capable of a specified treatment
2. subject to or capable of being emotionally affected
3. impressionable or highly sensitiveUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :She was susceptible to airborne diseases because of her weak constitution.

Premonition [ pree-muh'-NISH-uh'n, prem-uh' ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a forewarning or an advance warning
2. an intuition of a future unwelcome occurrence
3. a foreboding or a feeling that evil is approachingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :She cancelled her ticket because she had a premonition about the flight.

Providence [ PROV-i-duh'ns ][ noun ]MEANING :1. God's care and guidance over the creatures of the earth
2. a manifestation of divine care
3. prudent resource managementUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He told the congregation to have faith and everything would be taken care of by providence.

Cynical [ SIN-i-kuh'l ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. characteristic of or like a person who believes that motivation stems only from selfishness
2. showing contempt for accepted standards of morality or honesty
3. pessimistic or sneeringly distrustful of the motives of othersUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Some people adopted a cynical view of the new health care reform.