Learn English Vocabulary - via Word of the Day

Vernal [ VUR-nl ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. pertaining to, suggestive of or occurring in spring
2. youthful and freshUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Some vernal flowers have five petals.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The 119 extant species include sweet vernal grass.

Iridescent [ ir-i-DES-uh’ nt ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) colourful and lustrous like a rainbow
2. (n.) material or cloth that displays lustrous colours like a rainbowUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The iridescent painting was eye-catching.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :An elephant hawk-moth's beautiful deep pink wings, edged in iridescent green, would put even the brightest of butterflies to shame.

Expatiate [ ik-SPEY-shee-eyt ][ intransitive verb ]MEANING :1. to roam about or wander freely
2. to elaborate or explain in detailUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The guests expatiated around the country side.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :In other words, or variable words if you prefer, expatiated the Management Expert, you can't step into the same river twice.

Forte [ fawrt, fohrt, FAWR-tey ][ noun, adjective, adverb ]MEANING :1. (n.) an area or field in which one excels, accomplishes a lot or which one finds as one's strong point
2. (n.) the strongest part of the blade of a sword which is between the middle and the hilt
3. (n.) a chord, note or passage played loudly and forcefully
4. (adj.) forceful or loud
5. (adv.) loudly or in a forceful way or mannerUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Astronomy was his forte.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :With visualization as Manish's forte, Manish styles for various Indian glossies and also designs clothes for Indian celebrities.

Enunciate [ i-NUHN-see-eyt ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr.v.) to announce, state or proclaim
2. (tr.v.) to articulate or pronounce
3. (intr.v.) to articulately pronounce wordsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He enunciated each word clearly so that everyone understood what he was saying.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The genesis for the clip, he said, came from his daughter's ability to enunciate well at an early age.

Morbid [ MAWR-bid ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. excessively gloomy and susceptible to unwholesome and ill feelings and thoughts
2. pertaining to or suggestive of a disease
3. gruesome, ghastly, horrible or grislyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The morbid story was made into a movie.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Meet some of the M.O.s decide the powers that be at the War Office must have a morbid sense of humour to have put this lot together.

Lull [ luhl ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) a period of temporary calm
2. (tr.v.) to soothe, relax and put to sleep
3. (intr.v.) to calm or quiet downUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :There was a lull in the atmosphere.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The game is far better suited to television, because it adheres to a tighter schedule and lacks the middle-over lull, but it may not be as popular with fans wanting a full day's play.

Frenzied [ FREN-zeed ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. marked by wild enthusiasm or excitement
2. violent, frantic, agitated or wildUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :There was a frenzied rush to buy the new book.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The meditative time will soothe your frenzied brain, while the caffeine will give you just enough of a kick start to get through the rest of your day.

Holocaust [ HOL-uh'-kawst, HOH-luh'- ][ noun ]MEANING :1. an offering or sacrifice that is completely consumed by fire
2. a massive destruction caused esp. by fire
3. a large-scale slaughter
4. the systematic, large-scale slaughter of the Jews by Nazis during World War IIUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The holocaust was predicted by the astrologist.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The Holocaust was the Nazis' assault on the Jews between 1933 and 1945 in which six million Jews were murdered.

Curator [ kyoo'-REY-ter, KYOO' R-ey- ; KYOO' R-uh-ter ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a manager, superintendent or a person in charge
2. on who is a legal guardian of a person who is a minor, lunatic or is incompetent in some other way to take care of his/her propertyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The curator of the museum was a respected man.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :A curator checks artifacts at the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad on March 17, 2008.

Epitome [ i-PIT-uh'-mee ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a brief account, summary or abstract
2. an example, representative or one that exemplifies the qualities of a group or classUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He was the epitome of what a gentleman should be.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :He is a man typical of the times, the epitome of how the world works today.

Epilogue [ EP-uh'-lawg, -log ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a speech or poem recited at the conclusion of a play
2. one who delivers the speech or poem at the end of a play
3. a short section appended to the conclusion of a piece of literary work like a novelUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The epilogue was set nearly nineteen years in the future.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :This victory is an epilogue in the first half of the season.

Gaunt [ gawnt ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. thin, bony, haggard or emaciated
2. desolate, barren, grim or bleakUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He had a gaunt face with a pale complexion.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :What remains is the immensity of the sky, gaunt slopes scrubby with thistles and wild grasses, the roar of glacial torrents in dark ravines, and the powerful pull of the first gods ever feared by men.

Cuisine [ kwi-ZEEN ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a manner, style or quality of preparing or cooking food
2. food that has been preparedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The choice of cuisine was unique.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :In the tradition of Julia Child, another impressive voice for French cuisine wants to help home cooks pull off great food.

Medley [ MED-lee ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (n.) heterogeneous mixture, hodgepodge or a jumbled assortment
2. (n.) a mixture of songs obtained from varied sources and played together in continuum
3. (n.) mingled, jumbled or mixedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The medley required work before it could be presented before an audience.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The scenery, especially in the north, is considered the most spectacular in South Africa, a sublime medley of rugged peaks, scarps, pinnacles, forest, waterfalls and rivers.

Ensconce [ en-SKONS ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to conceal, hide or secure snugly
2. to settle or place in a snug or comfortable mannerUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :She was ensconced in a snug tweed jacket.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Appropriately enough, Brother Claus spent much of his life ensconced in an Alpine cave in solitary reflection.

Amorphous [ uh'-MAWR-fuh's ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. having no definite form or specific shape
2. of no particular typeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Everything had burned to the ground and all that was left was some amorphous objects in the ashes.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :It's a rather amorphous discussion, in which the politicians can raise almost anything which takes their fancy.

Diabolical [ dahy-uh'-BOL-ik-kal  ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. satanic or pertaining to the devil
2. outrageously cruel or wicked
3. fiendish or befitting a devilUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :They feared that once the evil lords put their diabolical plan into action there would be no escape.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The widow of a man who fell victim to a super-bug that has claimed 17 lives at a Norfolk hospital yesterday described his death as ""diabolical"".

Amiss [ uh'-MIS ][ adjective, adverb ]MEANING :1. (adj.) out of order, faulty, improper or imperfect
2. (adv.) wrongly, faultily, imperfectly or in a mistaken mannerUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The amiss setting of the cutlery angered her.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :There were ample warnings that something was amiss, a long time before the banks collapsed.

Jejune [  ji-JOON ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. lacking interest or importance; dull
2. having little or no nutritive value
3. childish; immatureUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The jejune novel did not hold my interest.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Will audiences follow him, cheering the implicit detonation of America's institutions? Or will they find it all a bit ... jejune?

Defray [ di-FREY ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :to pay, take care of or bear all the expensesUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He defrayed the hospital costs in spite of having limited funds.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Today, several middle-class Punekars staying in joint families are taking the opportunity to purchase a house for the future and leasing them out to partially defray the home loan equated monthly instalments (EMIs).