Learn English Vocabulary - via Word of the Day

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dote [ doht ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to love or be extremely fond of
2. to be foolish or exhibit mental decline due to old ageUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :They were doted on by the entire family.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :US Weekly notes that Mrs Obama will not be hiring a nanny as her mother, Marian Robinson, 71, has moved into the White House to help look after the two grandchildren on whom she is said to dote.

adulation [ AJ-uh'-ley shuh'n ][ noun ]MEANING :1. slavish praise, devotion, flattery or applause
2. intense admirationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The actor loved to receive the adulation of his fans.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :As soon as Sachin Tendulkar makes eye contact with one, they will all expect it, and he will be trapped in adulation.

qualm [ kwahm, kwawm ][ noun ]MEANING :1. an abrupt onset of dizziness or sickness, as of nausea
2. a sudden feeling of discomfort or pang felt esp. when not sure that one's actions is morally or socially acceptable
3. a sudden uneasy or disturbing feeling; sudden apprehensionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He felt a sudden qualm when he saw the corpse lying on the road.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :President Bush cannot be a nationalist, they argue, because he has no qualms about the destruction of the American, the shipping of U.S. jobs overseas, the tearing down of what remains of our borders, the demographic transformation of the United States

misanthrope [ mee-zahn*-tr*awp ][ noun ]MEANING :one who hates, mistrusts, or dislikes everyone in generalUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Being a misanthrope meant that he had no friends.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Many readers will find themselves drawn to Engleby, a witty misanthrope who rails against modern life, declining standards of education and almost all music after Steely Dan.

canker [ KANG-ker ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) ulceration, especially in the mouth and lips
2.(n.) any of various disorders in animals marked by chronic inflammatory changes
3. (n.) a source of corruption or decay
4. (tr.v.) to corrupt; destroy slowly
5. (intr.v.) to become infected with or as if with cankerUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The canker had to be removed by surgery.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :One of the region's MEPs has called for EU-funded research into the canker.

naïve [ nah-EEV ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) having an unaffected simplicity
2. (adj.) lacking sophistication and critical judgment
3. (n.) someone who is uncritical, innocent and trustingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :We were naïve to have thought that we could give the Dalai Lama shelter in India without suffering the consequences.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :We were naive to let them back into the game.

cravat [ kruh'-VAT ][ noun ]MEANING :a scarf or a band of cloth worn esp. by men around the neck; a necktieUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :With his shaven head, wearing a black overcoat, with black trousers, black shoes and a black cravat tied around his neck, he cut an intimidating and somewhat sinister figure.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :To an observer standing out in the center of the road looking back toward the tables in the shade of the oak tree, he would have looked stern and uncomfortable in his black coat, the white dressing twisted about his neck like a tight cravat.

gauche [ gohsh ][ adjective ]MEANING :lacking social grace or civility; tactless; crudeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The exquisite manners of most Europeans make many Americans feel gauche.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Other critics find the association's fundraising efforts gauche, while some graduate students are concerned the campaign against using adjunct faculty will leave them with no jobs at all.

abash [ uh'-BASH ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :to disconcert, embarrass or make queasyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He was abashed by her candid questions.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :I moved on, abashed, angry, and confused.

lassitude [ LAS-i-tood, -tyood ][ noun ]MEANING :a feeling of fatigue or weariness, low on energyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :People living in humid climates often feel a sense of lassitude.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Not home till between 9/10 pm, so little time for anything else but food and do the “black-outs”, write this diary and sundries, Poor Kay dead tired: very yellow and suffering from lassitude.

allusion [ uh'-LOO-zhuh'n ][ noun ]MEANING :1. of passing or casual reference, an instance of implied or indirect reference
2. the act of alluding or hinting at somethingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Her allusion to the fact that she knew him was in doubt.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Love songs predominate, with themes of unrequited love and frequent allusion to the Leyla and Majnoon story being very important.

legerdemain [ lej-er-duh’-MEYN ][ noun ]MEANING :1. sleight of hand
2. deception; trickery; a show of skill or deceitful clevernessUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Being legerdemain in cards enabled him to win most games with ease.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The budget legerdemain allowed Democrats to put their imprint on the bill, saving programs such as the $140 million Commodity Supplemental Food Program, targeted for elimination by Bush but given a 30 percent budget hike by Democrats.

garrulous [ GAR-uh'-luh' s, GAR-yuh'- ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. excessively talkative; pointless rambling
2. wordy, rambling or diffuse USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :His garrulous nature made him the life and soul of the party.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Joseph Kabila's slender frame and his understated public image contrast sharply with his chubby and garrulous father.

guttural [ GUHT-er-uh' l ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. articulated in the throat
2. harsh, throaty or unpleasant utteranceUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The German language, when spoken often comes across as somewhat harsh and guttural to English speakers.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Marvin Gaye's voice was a remarkably versatile instrument, sometimes gossamer, sometimes guttural, always expressive and emotional.

larceny [ LAHR-suh’-nee ][ noun ]MEANING :the unlawful taking of someone else's personal propertyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Most people would agree with Mahatma Gandhi's view that European colonialism of Asian and African people was larceny perpetrated on a grand scale.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Lorello, an archives and records management specialist in the New York Department of Education, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and scheming to defraud and was released on his recognizance

rectitude [ REK-ti-tood, -tyood ][ noun ]MEANING :1. righteousness, moral virtue or rightness of conduct or values
2. correctness in procedure or judgement
3. straightnessUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The rectitude displayed by him was admired by his followers.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Those who knew Ronald Reagan in his youth and those who knew him a lifetime later all remember his largeness of spirit, his gentle instincts and a quiet rectitude that drew others to him.

lambent [ LAM-buh’ nt ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. flickering lightly over or on a surface
2. giving off a gentle glow
3. effortlessly brilliant USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The lambent light over the surface of the water warned me that a vessel was approaching.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :His lambent instrumentals seem to tap deep into some genetic memory - disquietly nostalgic pieces which draw from hundreds of years of folk, blues, the Old West, Asia and everywhere.