Learn English Vocabulary - via Word of the Day

Idée fixe [ ee-dey FEEKS ][ noun ]MEANING :an idea that one has entertained for a long time; a fixed idea; obsessionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The British psychedelic band Pink Floyd's idee fixe of incorporating technology in music was considered ahead of its time.

Armada [ ahr-MAH-duh' ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a fleet of warships
2. a fleet of vehiclesUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :An armada of trucks laden with cargo was on its way to the port.

Eschew [ es-CHOO ][ verb ]MEANING :to avoid or keep away from, esp. from wrongdoings or evil; to shunUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :All religions advise their people to eschew wickedness and evil from their daily lives.

Anguish [ ANG-gwish ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) intense suffering or pain
2. (tr.v.) to inflict with or cause distress or extreme pain
3. (intr.v.) to suffer from or endure intense sorrow or painUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The mental anguish suffered by the POWs continued even after their release.

Advert [ ad-VURT  ][ intransitive verb ]MEANING :1. to direct attention
2. focus onUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :After a brief introduction, the Chairman adverted to the main topic of recession and its effect on the company's profitability.

Uxorious [ uhk-SAWR-ee-uh's ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. affectionately submissive toward one's wife
2. foolishly doting upon one's wife
3. characterized by excess devotion to one's wifeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The uxorious husband refused to believe that his wife was anything but perfect in spite of the complaints from the neighbours.

Paroxysm [ PAR-uh’ k-siz-uh ’m ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a sudden fit, outburst or spasm of action or emotion
2. an attack, intensification or recurrence of a certain diseaseUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :People thought him to be weird because of his fits of paroxysms.

Amalgamate [ uh'-MAL-guh'-meyt ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr.v.) to mix, combine or blend together
2. (tr.v.) to mix with mercury
3. (intr.v.) to coalesce, merge or uniteUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :All data has to be amalgamated, then studied, to reach a valid conclusion.

Chaperon [ SHAP-uh'-rohn ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to accompany for the sake of propriety
2. (intr. v.) to act as an escort or guardian in public
3.(n.) an older woman, who, accompanies a young unmarried woman in public or to a party of young unmarried men and women for the sake of propriety
4. (n.) an adult present in order to maintain propriety at an activity of young people
5. (n.) a 15th. century round headdress of cloth with streamers hanging downUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :She attended the May Queen ball chaperoned by her aunt.

Wean [ ween ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to accustom a young mammal to take its nourishment from means other than its mother's milk
2. to cause to get detached from a habit or source of one's attachmentUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Babies are weaned at nine months.

Liturgy [ LIT-er-jee ][ noun ]MEANING :the prescribed set forms of rituals for public religious worshipUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The elaborate liturgy in Hindu festivals can be intimidating if one is not accustomed to them.

Sublime [ suh'-BLAHYM ][ noun, verb, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) absolute or sheer
2. (adj.) high or grand in thought
3. (adj.) stir the mind with a sense of grandeur
4. (n.) the quality of the greatest
5. to convert a solid into vapour by heatingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The young executive impressed everyone at the meeting with his sublime acumen and knowledge of the intricacies of the management process.

Brunt [ bruhnt ][ noun ]MEANING :1. the main force of a blow
2. most of the impact of
3. the burden ofUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The back section of the fort bore the brunt of the attack indicating that the invaders had used divertive tactics.

Tamper [ TAM-per ][ noun, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (intr. v.) to interfere with
2. (intr. v.) to falsify by making changes
3. (intr. v.) to influence by illegal dealings
4. (tr. v.) to change improperlyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The accused had tampered with the evidence.

Deranged [ di-REYNJD ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. insane, mad or mentally disturbed
2. disordered, disarranged or unbalancedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The deranged lady was admitted to the mental asylum so that she would not harm herself or others.

Libertine [ LIB-er-teen, -tin ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a person who lives without moral restraint
2. a person who is a freethinkerUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Feudal, conservative societies offer no place to a libertine.

Synopsis [ si-NOP-sis ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a condensed statement on a topic
2. a summary or a brief versionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :All the students were told to write a synopsis of the lecture and submit it the following day.

Condign [ kuh n-DAHYN ][ adjective ]MEANING :appropriate; well-deservedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The death penalty would be the most condign punishment for somebody who commits a cold-blooded murder.