Archaic

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 style
	USAGE 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

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 of
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	He was happy to be betrothed to the only daughter of a rich industrialist.

Annotate

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 text
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The teacher explained to the students how they should annotate the lesson.

Catharsis

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 consciousness
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	He decide to vent his feelings in a form of catharsis.

Deputize

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 deputy
	USAGE 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

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 plundering
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The village and crops were ravaged by the storm.

Resuscitate

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 consciousness
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	Paramedics resuscitated her as soon as the lifeguard brought her ashore.

Sedentary

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 posture
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The physiotherapist told him that his backache was due to his sedentary job.

Liaison

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 relationship
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The radio officer had provided efficient liaison between the commanding officers of the units engaged in the two pronged attack.

Confound

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 worse
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	He was confounded by the mannerisms of the tribesmen.

Occult

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 view
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	He read many books on the occult and found it to be a challenging subject.

Emaciated

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 starvation
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The emaciated bodies of the people who had died of famine were piled up and cremated.

Insatiable

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

Bizarre

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

Hyperbole

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 emphasis
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The professor made liberal use of hyperbole to illustrate his point.

Despot

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 emperor
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The despot had put to death all those who dared to oppose him.

Sylvan

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 woods
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The children were warned that if they misbehaved sylvan creatures would come out of the woods and carry them away.

Aberrant

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 normal
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The class teacher immediately reported the aberrant behaviour of the child to the principal.

Generic

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 grape
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	Basmati has become a generic name for long grained aromatic rice after the declaration of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Leash

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 together
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	When walking the dog in the park, he always kept it on a short leash.

Psychosomatic

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 body
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	Every time his mother-in-law came to visit he would suffer from severe psychosomatic back pain.

Piquant

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 feelings
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The piquant taste of the cuisine adds to its appeal.

Massacre

Massacre [  MAS-uh'-ker  ]
	[ noun, transitive verb ]
	MEANING :
	1. (n.) the act of indiscriminate mass killing 2. (tr. v.) to slay indiscriminately
	USAGE 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

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 illustrations
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	The sound was amplified so it could be heard all over the campus.

Platonic

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 speculative
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	Theirs was a platonic relationship built on trust and mutual admiration.

Construe

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 explaining
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	People construed that he was antisocial by the glowering look on his face.

Susceptible

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 sensitive
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	She was susceptible to airborne diseases because of her weak constitution.

Premonition

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 approaching
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	She cancelled her ticket because she had a premonition about the flight.

Providence

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 management
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	He told the congregation to have faith and everything would be taken care of by providence.

Cynical

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 others
	USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
	Some people adopted a cynical view of the new health care reform.