Date Word P.O.S. Definition Context 9/4 ABATE verb to reduce Marta's defeat in the tennis tournament did not abate her zeal for the game 9/5 ACCLAIM verb to give public approval and praise; to approve enthusiastically Critics have acclaimed Peter's new novel, The Hill of Ants, as the best written in this decade. 9/8 ASPIRANT noun someone who aspires, as to high honors or position Prince Charles is the aspirant to the throne of England. 9/9 BABBLE verb prattle; to talk foolishly; chatter Our bridge club members babbled foolishly for hours, but afterwords I couldn't remember a word they said. 9/10 BESMIRCH verb to make dirty; soil When an American commits a crime abroad, this act besmirches the reputation of our country. 9/11 BLITHE adj. cheerful; carefree A blithe spirit is the most wonderful aspect of Jane's personality. 9/12 CANARD noun a false story with the intention of misleading or doing harm As soon as I walked into the house and saw my mother's face, I knew my canard was unsuccessful. 9/15 CHORTLE verb to express with a snorting chuckle; to laugh with pleasure and glee The children chortled under the covers, and their mom knew they would not fall asleep soon. 9/16 CONDUCIVE adj. promoting; contributing Strong study habits are conducive to good grades. 9/17 DAUNT verb to scare; to intimidate When the home team saw the large players for the visiting team emerge from the bus, they were daunted by the visitors' size.   Although most people are fearful of speaking a stage, Jerry was undaunted and enjoyed the experience. 9/18 DERIVATIVE adj. unoriginal; coming from or based on something else The word "atomic" is a derivative of the word "atom."   9/19 DULCET adj. melodious, soft, soothing Senator Kramer was a political campaigner who could hypnotize an audience with sweet words and dulcet tones.   9/22 EDIFY verb to instruct; to enlighten To further edify his platoon, the sergeant gave instruction on cross-country marches using the hand compass. 9/23 EFFUSION noun pouring forth The clown's entrance caused an effusion of laughter and good feelings in the children's ward of the hospital.   9/24 EXTRINSIC adj. not part of the essential nature of things The historical information in the book was extrinsic to the actual plot.   9/25 FACILITATE verb to make easier, to help bring about In order to facilitate the sale of their home, George had painted it.   9/26 FLAXEN adj. resembling flax; yellowish in color She had long braids of flaxen hair. 9/29 FORMIDABLE adj. exceptionally difficult; fearsome or intimidating The young fighter was worried about facing his formidable opponent in the ring. 9/30 GADFLY noun a person who annoys by persistent criticism; an insect A person who does not have a good word for anything is considered a gadfly.   The horse flew by past the finish line with a gadfly attached to his nose.   10/1 GAFFE noun an embarrassing mistake; a crude social error; blunder; a faux pas When Susie showed up at the formal ball in jeans and T-shirt, she was so embarrassed by her fashion gaffe that she never attended another public activity.   10/2 GAMESOME adj. merry, frolicsome The children were gamesome at the maypole and leaped about playfully.   10/3 HARROWING adj. extremely distressing; disturbing or frightening After the harrowing experience when Eddie's main parachute didn't open, and his emergency chute saved him only at the last minute, he vowed never to jump again.   10/6 HEDONIST noun one who lives by the belief that pleasure-seeking is the primary goal of life Mary's boyfriend was too much of a hedonist to care about her wants and hopes.     10/7 HYPOTHETICAL adj. unproven The teacher gave us a hypothetical situation and told us to role play.   Several hypothetical explanations exist, but none has ever been proven. 10/8 IMPASSE noun a point in a process at which further progress is blocked; stalemate We have reached an impasse in the negotiations; neither side will budge.   10/9 IMPERCEPTIBLE adj. difficult to understand or perceive; not plain No aspect of the law should be imperceptible to an astute lawyer.   10/10 INUNDATE verb to overwhelm with abundance or excess; flood During final exams, we are so inundated with school work that we have no time for fun.   10/14 LACKLUSTER adj. lacking energy and effort; lacking brilliance; dull The group gave a lackluster portrayal of Shakespeare's play.   10/15 LATENT adj. lying hidden or undeveloped; potential Because the disease was in a latent state, no one knew she was ill.   10/16 LEVERAGE noun positional advantage, power, clout, influence The foreman has leverage over his workers because he decides the work assignments.   10/17 MALADY noun illness; sickness; disease In Edgar Allen Poe's writings, most of his main characters have some sort of malady.   10/20 MARGINAL adj. small amount or effect; barely above a minimum standard of quality; insignificant; in the margin The difference between the two bids was only marginal.   10/21 MEAN noun average; midpoint between extremes The students were given a math problem to determine the mean of a series of numbers.   10/22 NAUTICAL adj. relating to sea navigation The admiral entertained us with his stories of nautical adventures.   10/23 NOCTURNAL adj. of or occurring at night Nocturnal animals sleep during the day and are active at night.   A nocturnal person is one who stays up late at night.   10/24 NOVICE noun one who is starting to learn a profession, trade or sport Although our new employee is a novice in terms of sales, he has helped boost profits in our store this week.   10/27 OASIS noun a fertile spot in a desert or barren place, an enjoyable place, haven, sanctum The library was an oasis of quiet; perfect for study.   10/28 OBSTREPEROUS adj. not submitting to discipline or control; boisterous; vociferous The obstreperous opponents made so much noise their team was charged with a misconduct foul.   10/29 OPTIMISM noun encouragement, happy expectancy, hope, a positive outlook Nothing can daunt Ralph's cheery optimism that influences every one around him.   10/30 PERVADE verb saturate, penetrate, to spread throughout The aroma of the fresh baked bread pervaded the entire house.   10/31 PHILIPPIC noun a verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, insulting language; a tirade The coach, in seeking to rouse the team, shouted bitter philippics against the opposing team, unfortunately, setting a poor example for his players.   11/3 PORTENT noun forewarning, foreboding, sign, warning, omen The high winds were a portent of a rough flight ahead.   11/5 QUALIFY verb to make eligible, adapt, make competent, or capable In order to qualify to play in the U.S. Open one must accumulate enough points by playing in many other tournaments.   11/6 QUELL verb to extinguish, to put down or suppress by force The mother attempted to quell the infant's cries by singing a lullaby.   11/7 QUEUE verb to form or to wait in line During the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, fans queued outside the gates the day before and spent the night waiting for the gates to open the following morning.   11/10 RABID adj. violent; raging The rabid dog was coming down the street, straight at us.   11/12 RAREFIED adj. not ordinary; interesting to a select group only The Malaysian restaurant down the street went out of business because it catered to a rarefied clientele.   11/13 RATIFY verb to officially approve; endorse; agree to The majority must ratify the amendment before it is enacted. 11/14 SAGA noun a long story, often telling the history of a family The saga of Odysseus is an ancient adventure story retold throughout history.   11/17 SAGE noun a person of wisdom and prudence Native American tribes regarded their medicine man as a sage with special healing powers.   In Chinese culture, the grandparents are regarded as the sages of the family.   11/18 SALIENT adj. readily attracting notice, noticeable, important At the meeting, Henry listed the salient points to be discussed.   11/19 TIRADE noun long angry speech; reprimand The political candidate let loose a tirade against his opponent at the debate.   11/20 TOTALITARIAN adj. with an absolute ruler; not tolerating opposing opinions Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin were rulers of totalitarian states during the early twentieth century. 11/21 TRADUCE verb to speak maliciously and false of; slander; defame; vilify That gossip will traduce anyone who is not present.   11/24 ULTIMATE adj. of the greatest possible size or degree; maximum Steve is never satisfied when it comes to surfing; he's in search for the ultimate wave.   11/25 UNKEMPT adj. uncared for, neglected; disheveled; messy The country is now checking all unkempt lawns and leaving warning notices.   12/1 UNMITIGATED adj. unqualified; not softened or lessened July was a month of unmitigated hot weather.   12/2 VERVE n. enthusiasm or vigor, as in artistic works; spirit The pianist played the concerto with verve and enthralled the audience.   12/3 WANTON adj. uncalled for; malicious; unjustified; unprovoked Terrorists commit wanton destructive acts upon innocent people.   12/4 ABROGATE v. to abolish, repeal, or nullify by authority; to do away with; to end formally Congress abrogated the treaty, saying that it no longer applied.   12/5 BEVY n. a group of animals; an assemblage Bud's hunting dogs flushed out a bevy of quail.   A bevy of shoppers rushed into the store on opening day.   12/8 BIENNIAL adj. occurring every two years Our family takes biennial snow skiing trips to the mountains.   12/9 CONNOISSEUR n. an expert, particularly in matters of art and taste My uncle is a connoisseur of fine wines.   12/10 DEFERENCE n. respect another's views or wishes The family showed deference to their elderly grandmother's whim and agreed to have dinner at 4 p.m.   12/11 EDIFICE n. a building, especially one of imposing appearance or size To further edify his platoon, the sergeant gave instructions on cross-country marches using the hand compass.   12/12 FOB v./n. foist, to force another to accept, especially by deceit or stealth; a pocket watch Web site companies sometimes try to fob off items which are copies of originals.   The fob was attached to a short gold chain and kept in his pocket.   12/15 GARRULOUS adj. overly talkative Our garrulous neighbor never asked much about us, but we knew her whole life's story.   12/16 HERMETIC adj. airtight; not influenced by the outside The solution was hermetically sealed, but we still called Poison Control.   1/5 MILLENNIUM n. a period of one thousand years How did you celebrate the end of the millennium on New Year's Eve 1999? The year 2000 signifies that two millennia have passed. (pl.)   1/6 NOMENCLATURE n. a specialized system or set of names and terms used in a particular science, art or other field of study or training; a system for naming things; terminology The most difficult part of becoming an x-ray technician is learning the medical nomenclature.   1/7 ORTHODOX adj. conventional, going by the book, sticking to established principles An orthodox religion is one that holds fast to unchanging, historical views.   1/8 PARQUET n. wooden floor forming a pattern, part of an area in a theater Since he prefers wood to carpet, Kevin installed parquet floors in his oceanfront condo. (adj.)   1/9 REDOLENT adj. fragrant, aromatic, savory On Labor Day, neighborhoods are redolent with the aroma of barbecued foods.   1/12 RETROSPECT n. hindsight; looking backward In retrospect, the situation was funny, but it was embarrassing at the time.   1/13 ROUÉ n. an immoral man, libertine, wanton, profligate A roué tried to scam the old lady out of her life's savings. 1/14 SALLY n. sudden onslaught; an excursion or expedition; a clever rejoinder A sally of troops stormed the castle wall.   1/15 STUPENDOUS adj. very great in amount or size; extraordinary; remarkable John ran up such stupendous debts he will never be able to pay them.   1/16 SUPERLATIVE adj./n. of the highest quality; foremost; praiseworthy; superb No amount of literary superlatives can do justice to the superb novels written by Ernest Hemingway. (n.)   1/20 TRANSITION n. the process of passing from one form or stage to another The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a given for every human being.   1/21 TRIUMVIRATE n. a group of three persons, especially in a joint ruling capacity The judges were a triumvirate, so the attorney had to appeal before all three of them.   1/22 UTOPIAN adj. perfect; but only in theory or fancy; idea In a way, if you like solitude and tranquility, the monastery provides a utopian life.   1/23 VERDANT adj. covered with vegetation; green; leafy; inexperienced Verdant is a word derived from a French word meaning "green." 1/26 VIRULENT adj. actively poisonous; intensely noxious; lethal The virulent fever claimed many victims during the yellow fever outbreak.   1/27 VITUPERATION n. abusive language Al's father's vituperation is known throughout the neighborhood. 1/28 VIVID adj. clear; bright; distinct; radiant; stirring The jockeys wore vivid racing shirts as they paraded their horses to the starting post.   1/29 WAN adj. with an unnatural or sickly pallor; lacking color After the dry summer, Jane's flower garden looked wan.   1/30 WANE v. to decrease gradually; to weaken; to fade away By the late 70's, the band's popularity had begun to wane.   2/2 ACCEDE v. to yield; give in to a request Bill graciously acceded to our request to have the party at his house.   2/3 BAROQUE adj. extravagantly decorated or ornate; flamboyant Madeline's paintings are baroque in style, reminiscent of the masters of the 18th century.   2/4 BILGE n. the lowest point of ship's inner hull; nonsense, rubbish The tanker's bilge was leaking oil at sea, creating an environmental hazard.   2/5 CARP v. to complain and find fault about unimportant things My mother and aunt don't get along well because my mother is always carping about her sister.   2/6 CATHARSIS n. an emotional or psychological cleansing that brings relief or renewal Returning to the French World War II battlefield he had known fifty years before, Williams found the experience cathartic. (adj.)   2/9 DELVE v. to search intensely for a thing or information The attorney general promised he would delve into the rash of robberies in the valley.   2/10 EGRESS n./v. a place or means of going out; exit The fire department was concerned that there were too many egresses from the building.   2/11 FALSETTO n. a high singing voice Many modern artists who lack tenor voices sing falsetto.   2/12 GYRATE v. to rotate rapidly, to spin, to wind or coil When the pilot cut the engine, the propeller stopped gyrating.   2/13 HUSBANDRY n. management of resources, especially in agriculture; husbandry is the practice of conserving resources; to husband is to economize The nation's husbandry of natural resources is crucial in assuring their availability for future generations.   2/23 INCURSION n. a sudden and unwanted entrance to a place or area; a raid or sudden invasion The troops led an incursion on the small, unprotected village, looting and plundering as they went.   2/24 INSUPERABLE adj. not able to be conquered or overcome; extremely great or severe; overwhelming Hospitals now face insuperable difficulties with too few staff members and too little money.   2/25 LIAISON n. a communication link between groups or persons; connection; alliance; unpermitted secret love affair There is an unfortunate lack of liaison between the departments, so effective communication is severely lacking.   2/26 LICENTIOUS adj. acting in a promiscuous, uncontrolled and socially unacceptable manner; not within the bounds of morality or propriety; immoral Because of her licentious behavior and reputation, the college student has lost the respect of her friends.   2/27 MUSE v. to ponder; meditate; think about at length Chess is a game of skill whereupon each player muses over all the possible plays before deciding which piece to move.   3/2 NOXIOUS adj. physically or mentally destructive, harmful to human beings The noxious pollutants discharged into the bay by the paper mill killed all the marine life.   3/3 OBLIQUE adj. at an angle; indirect or evasive The restaurant owner made oblique references to the impatience of his customers without stating specific names.   3/4 OUST v. to force out; to banish The fans wanted Roger ousted for making too much noise during the tennis match.   3/5 PARTISAN n./adj. supporter of a person, group or cause The victim's partisans rallied to support his cause.   3/6 PATRICIAN n. blue blood, one of noble birth, an aristocrat In Roman times, patricians wore special togas of royal purple, while the peasants wore dull brown tunics.   3/9 PREDILECTION n. tendency to think favorably of something, partiality, penchant Don's predilection for reading books led to his career as an author.   3/10 PREDISPOSE v. to set up or influence a behavior or condition; to lay the groundwork for His good manners predispose people to like him.   3/11 QUARRY n. an animal that is being hunted down, especially with dogs The quarry was surrounded, but instinct told it to keep fighting.   3/12 REDRESS v. to correct a wrong; to make amends There is no adequate redress for the accidental loss of a limb, but monetary compensation can replace the loss of wages. (n.)   3/13 REQUISITE adj./n. compulsory, essential, mandatory; requirement The "help wanted" ad stated that prior experience in computer auto repairs was a requisite skill.   3/16 SECULAR adj. having nothing to do with religion, pertaining to worldly things Secular humanism believes in promoting human values outside of religion.   3/17 SEDATE adj. calm, quiet, or composed The puppy was sedate enough that we could let him out of his crate for an hour or two each day.   3/18 SNIT n. agitated or irritated state; excited distress Grandmother was in a snit all week after she failed to get the leading role in the senior play.   3/19 THEOLOGY n. science of divine things, doctrine After majoring in theology, he taught Eastern religion in college.   3/20 TORRID adj. intensely hot; burning; passionate; rapid Many romance novels contain torrid love affairs. A torrid zone is a region that is hot all year long.   3/23 TRANSCRIBE v. to write down; record; reproduce The court reporter transcribed the testimony of the civil court trial.   3/24 UNWITTING adj. inadvertant; unintentional; accidental The innocent cab driver became an unwitting accomplice in the bank robbery.   3/25 VOCIFEROUS adj. loud; noisy A vociferous group of students rushed out of class to start summer.   3/26 WILY adj. deceitful; clever; crafty; cunning Rainbow trout are too wily to be caught by amateur fishermen.   3/27 AFFECTATION n. false behavior intended to impress Bonnie's affectation was that she personally knew every actor in the Hollywood, which was an untruth.   3/30 BALLYHOO n. a lot of noise and activity, often with no real With all the ballyhoo over the hula hoop, you'd think it was the greatest invention since penicillin.   3/31 CELERITY n. swiftness of action or motion; speed David's celerity is improved when the coach times him.   4/1 COMMENSURATE adj. proportionate; equal In most companies, pay is commensurate with experience.   4/2 CONJECTURE v. to guess; figure out with little evidence Although the theory was purely conjecture, Greg fooled us into believing it was fact. (n.)   4/3 DICHOTOMY n. the division into two parts that are usually contradictory It is a dichotomy when parents tell their children never to lie but also never to hurt someone's feelings.   4/6 DRACONIAN adj. hard, severe, cruel The word 'draconian' did not originate with the fictional character Count Dracula, but with an ancient Greek official named Dracula who created a harsh code of laws.   4/7 EMANATE v. to come from or out of; issue emit Raucous laughter emanated from the next room. When Beatrice strolls into a room, everyone stares because of the aura of beauty that emanates from her.   4/8 FINAGLE v. obtain by trickery; to use devious or dishonest methods Jim finagled his way into the private party by entering through the kitchen when no one was looking.   4/9 GAZETTEER n. geographical dictionary; journalist, publicist The World Atlas is a well known gazetteer utilized by many.   4/20 HINTERLANDS n. the remote or lesser developed areas of any country As children, we disappeared into the hinterlands to avoid the crowds of the city.   4/21 INCULCATE v. to cause someone to have particular beliefs or values by repeating them frequently; to implant in someone's mind by earnest and frequent repetition; instill  The goal is to inculcate in students a tolerance for people of other religions and races by educating them in those areas.   4/22 INSOLVENT adj. in a state in which one's financial liabilities exceed one's assets Overusing of credit cards is the easiest way to become insolvent.   4/23 LAX adj. irresponsible, not diligent, relaxed The coach was too lax about training, and his team finished with a losing record.   4/24 MELEE n. a situation that is confused and not under control; a confused mingling or turmoil; free-for-all As the crowd rushed the store in a general melee, everyone trying to  get to the bargain table first, I was separated from my friends.   4/27 NULLIFY v. to make useless; cancel; undo The purchase contract was nullified because it was never signed by the buyer.   4/28 OMNIBUS n. volumes of a single author or works; a bus PBS had a program called Omnibus concerning various works by famous British authors.   4/29 PEDESTRIAN adj. ordinary; moving on foot Most of the villages in the Andes Mountains have only pedestrian traffic on the very steep roads.   4/30 REPOSE n. to rest; tranquility; relaxation Exhausted after completing the marathon, Linda enjoyed a long repose.   5/1 RIFE adj. abundant; great in number or amount A new, tough administrator was sent to restructure the hospital, which was rife with errors.   5/4 SANCTIMONIOUS adj. practicing hypocrisy; pretending to be sincere They resented the Senator's sanctimonious remarks on immorality in America since everyone knew he was a lecher and a womanizer in private life.   5/5 SLOTH n. laziness; sluggishness; lethargy; idleness; a lazy person Harper was so tired after working in the steel mill all week; his weekends were devoted to nothing more than being a TV sloth.   5/6 SQUALID adj. dirty and wretched, as from poverty or lack of care It was a wretched house, dirty inside and full of junk; it is amazing how people could live in such squalid conditions.   5/7 TEMPESTUOUS adj. marked by unrest, disturbance or stormy turbulence The ship was endangered by the tempestuous roaring winds and high waves.   5/8 TORQUE n. turning or twisting force Try as Walter might, he still couldn't apply enough torque to open the jar of strawberry jam.   5/11 TURNCOAT n. one who changes to the opposite party or fraction; traitor; one who reverses his or her principles No one could believe that Harris would be such a turncoat as to play on the rival school's team.   5/12 UNETHICAL adj. not conforming to approved standards of behavior It is considered unethical for a judge to rule on rimes committed by his own family members. Cheating on an exam is very unethical.   5/13 UPRIGHT adj. honest; moral; virtuous; standing erect Chester was an upright citizen noted for his integrity in business dealings.   5/14 VESTIGE n. remaining bit of something; a last trace Brady's diamond rings were the last vestige of her ancestors. The human appendix is a vestige of early mankind.   5/15 VOID adj. empty; blank; vacant; null The check was marked void and rewritten to avoid a bank fee. 5/18 WHIM n. conceit; a sudden idea; a fanciful notion Elias is spoiled because his mother caters to his every whim. Edith bought the dress on a whim, and later returned it.   5/19 WOE n. a great suffering or sorrow; distress She poured out her tale of woe as she cried on his shoulder.   5/20 ABJECT adj. extremely sad; hopeless; defeated It is sad to see examples of abject poverty in a wealthy country.   5/21 AMITY n. friendship, good will, harmony The amity of the ship's crew made our cruise very enjoyable.   5/22 BENEFICENT adj. showing kindness resulting in benefit Ian's father was the beneficent benefactor who sponsored the baseball team.   5/26 BOMBAST n. a high sounding use of language without much real meaning To listen to his bombast, you would think Carl was the only person who ever got a speeding ticket.   5/27 COMPLY v. to obey an order, rule, or request; to act in agreement with a wish, or requirement Mr. Morris has to comply with the judge's order to pay fifty dollars each week, or he could go to jail.   5/28 CUSP n. a point or pointed end Betty was born on the cusp of the astrological sign of Leo, so she had some attributes of Virgo. He rounded the cusp of the 200 meter race and then broke for the tape on the straightaway.   5/29 DELECTABLE adj. giving great pleasure; pleasing to the taste; delicious That cake is so delectable that I will have another piece, please.   6/1 PRESCIENT adj. fore-knowledge of events The meteorologist appeard to be prescient when her prediction of a blizzard happened right on time.   6/2 EMINENT adj. standing out; renown; distinguished The most eminent feature of the hammerhead shark is its hammer-shaped head.   6/3 FIAT n. an authoritative, often arbitrary, decree, or order The general ruled by fiat for eight years after seizing power.   6/4 GAINSAY v. to deny; to contradict; to speak against; oppose With all the evidence, it was impossible for defendant to gainsay the fact that he was at the scene of the crime.   6/5 HAPLESS adj. unlucky That cake is so delectable that I will have another piece, please.   6/8 IDIOSYNCRASY n. a behavioral quirk Harriet had a way of smacking her lips every time she was asked a question, a harmless enough idiosyncrasy, only it drove everyone crazy after a while.   6/9 IMPUDENT adj. bold, impertinent, rude, insolent Chuck's impudent language brought a defamation of character law suit.   6/10 INTERIM n. a short period; the interval of time between two events; meantime I started writing about that subject two years ago, but unfortunately; other books on the same subject have come out in the interim.   6/11 LISTLESS adj. tired and weak, lacking energy or interest; lethargic As the golf game progressed in the 98 degree heat, Jack's stroke became listless.   6/12 MENTOR n. a teacher, tutor, counselor, esp. in business, an experienced person Harry wrote his thesis on stem cell functions with his mentor's guidance.   6/15 NIRVANA n. a state of blissful peace and harmony; a state of freedom from all suffering; a state of perfection In her speech the candidate promised a nirvana of better jobs, less crime, and more education.

A roundhouse kick to your personal lexicon... it's the Word of the Day!