Learn English Vocabulary - via Word of the Day

Amok [ uh'-MUHK, uh'-MOK  ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder (Southeast Asian cultures)USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Precisely, the film's fiction has nature running amok as a result of toxic waste, dumped out of corporate greed.

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 artworks.

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 :Her doctor was convinced that most of her problems were psychosomatic.

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 resort has a lovely sylvan setting with a river flowing through it.

Execrable [ EK-si-kruh'-buh'l][ adjective ]MEANING :1. deplorable or utterly detestable
2. abhorrent or being accursed
3. extremely bad or inferiorUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :After the execrable performance in the play his career as a stage performer was as good as over.

Bane [ beyn ][ noun ]MEANING :1. anything that spoils or ruins
2. anything that caused harm, destruction or death
3. a deadly poison
4. the source of one's exasperation or a persistent annoyanceUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 : Social networking is proving to be the bane of this generation.

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 how the lessons should be annotated.

Zany [ ZEY-nee ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1.(n.) a clown or fool or eccentric person
2. (adj.) ludicrous or comical
3. (adj.) clownishUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :His zany humour took comedy to new heights of absurdity.

Cozen [ KUHZ-uh'n ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to trick or to mislead by means of fraud
2. (tr. v.) to induce someone to commit an act by coaxing
3. (intr. v.) to act deceitfullyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :No matter how hard he tried he could not cozen the old couple to part with their property.

Paean [ PEE-uh’ n ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a song or hymn to thank or praise
2. a song sung in praise of a deity in ancient GreeceUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The countrymen united their voices in a great paean to liberty.

Myriad [ MIR-ee-uh’ d ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (n.) an enormous or incalculable number
2. (n.) (archaic) ten thousand
3. (adj.) incalculable, indefinite or innumerable
4. (adj.) multifacetedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The myriad number of stars in the sky continued to twinkle brightly. The kid was overjoyed with the myriads of experiences in the Disneyland.

Determinate [ adj. di-TUR-muh'-nit; v. di-TUR-muh'-neyt ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. precisely limited or with defined limits
2. conclusive, settled, finalUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The determinate nature of the project made it easier for the team to achieve the expected milestones.

Unsavory [ uh'n-SEY-vuh'-ree ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. not tasty or insipid
2. disagreeable or not appealing
3. distasteful or offensive
4. morally or socially objectionableUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The kids dejectedly looked at the scanty, unsavoury portions of food doled out to them.

Animadversion [ an-uh'-mad-VUR-zhuh' n, -shuh' n ][ noun ]MEANING :1. negative criticism
2. a censorious or critical comment or remarkUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Her work gathered public animadversion for being ahead of her time.

Minatory [ MIN-uh’-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ][ adjective ]MEANING :threatening, alarming or ominousUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He is unlikely to be deterred by minatory finger-wagging.

Propound [ pruh’-POUND ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :to set forth, propose, put forward or offer for acceptanceUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He's written several popular books propounding his theories.

Nugatory [ NOO-guh’-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, NYOO- ][ adjective ]MEANING :of no worth or meaningUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The teacher shortages will render nugatory the hopes of implementing the new curriculum.

Annihilate [ uh'-NAHY-uh'-leyt ][ verb ]MEANING :to do away with something; destroy completelyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The forest fire completely annihilated the island.

Transpire [ tran-spahyuhr ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (intr. v.) to occur; happen; take place.
2. (tr. v.) to emit or give off (waste matter, watery vapor, an odor, etc.)USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He noted everything that transpired in the courtroom.

Passé [ pahs ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) outdated, outmoded or no longer in fashion
2. (adj.) faded, aged or past one's prime
3. (n.) (roulette) numbers nineteen through thirty sixUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :What you think is in style one season may be viewed as passé the next, especially by the hardcore fashionistas.

gambit [ GAM-bit ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a manoeuvre by which an advantage is supposed to be gained
2. an opening statement to initiate conversationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The gambit of the company finally paid off when they clinched the billion dollar deal.

Voracious [ vaw-RAY-shuh's ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. ravenous or craving food in large quantities
2. eating large quantities of food
3. exceedingly eager to perform an activityUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Moles have a voracious appetite and can eat 70-100 percent of their weight daily.

Incongruity [ in-kuh'n-GROO-i-tee ][ noun ]MEANING :1. the state of being out of keeping or place
2. the quality of being incompatible or inharmoniousUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The seeming incongruity between the visual and the tactile can be explained by the laws of refraction.

Disquietude [ dis-KWAHY-i-tood ][ noun ]MEANING :1. the state of being worried or uneasy
2. anxiety or edginessUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The disquietude of the parents mounted as it was past six o’clock and their son had not come back from school.

Colloquy [ KOL-uh'-kwee ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a formal exchange of conversation
2. a conference or dialogue
3. a discussion between the judge and the defendant during a hearing to ascertain whether the defendant understands the court proceedings and his or her rightsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He found her in an earnest colloquy with the postman.

Tutelary [ TOOT-l-er-ee ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) holding the position of being the guardian or protector of a person, place, or thing
2. (adj.) pertaining to a guardian or protector
3. (n.) the person who serves as a guardian
4. (n.) one who has protective powersUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Indigenous and shamanic healers speak about the presence of and use of such tutelary spirits which are often personified and summoned while working with a patient.

Nostalgia [ no-STAL-juh' ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a sentimental longing for the happiness of a former place or time
2. a condition of being homesick or a display of homesicknessUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The old man talked about the carefree days of his childhood with nostalgia.

Debunk [ di-BUHNGK  ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to expose the exaggerated claims of
2. to ridicule the falseness of a claim or sentiment
3. to show to be false or pretentiousUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :She debunks the idea that the human interest story was always central to American journalism.

Compendium [ kuh'm-PEN-dee-uh'm ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a concise account of a subject
2. a brief treatise or a summary
3. a complete listUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Overall, I found the book to be an impressive compendium of useful information and resources.

Sentinel [ SEN-tn-l ][ noun, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) a watchman or a person or thing that stands as if watching
2. (n.) a soldier stationed as a guard or sentry
3. (tr. v.) to provide with a guard or watch over as a guardUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :After walking down a short hall another door came into view; this one had only one sentinel.