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Have you ever sat in class and
wondered, “What the heck does that mean?” when an instructor or student emits a
string of never-heard-before sounds? In Class 39, we have... more than
once.
Thanks to
Merriam-Webster Online, we proudly bring to the rest of the world
the “Class 39 Lexicon of Randomly Selected and Rarely Understood Words of the
English Language.” These words were uttered during one of our
sessions evoking some puzzled looks and raised eyebrows from more than a
handful of students in class.
Trouble pronouncing
the words? Click on the term in question. You will be redirected to
Merriam-Webster Online
then click on the speaker icon [ ]
adjacent to the word to hear how it is pronounced.
vo·li·tion
Pronunciation:
vO-'li-sh&n, v&-
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Medieval Latin volition-, volitio, from
Latin vol- (stem of velle to will, wish) + -ition-, -itio
(as in Latin position-, positio position) -- more at
WILL
1 : an act of making a choice or decision; also
: a choice or decision made
2 : the power of choosing or determining :
WILL
- vo·li·tion·al
/-'lish-n&l,
-'li-sh&-n&l/ adjective
as·suage
Pronunciation:
&-'swAj also -'swAzh or -'swäzh
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): as·suaged; as·suag·ing
Etymology: Middle English aswagen, from Old French assouagier,
from (assumed) Vulgar Latin assuaviare, from Latin ad- +
suavis sweet -- more at
SWEET
1 : to lessen the intensity of (something that pains or
distresses) :
EASE
2 :
PACIFY,
QUIET
3 : to put an end to by satisfying :
APPEASE,
QUENCH
synonym see
RELIEVE
- as·suage·ment
/-m&nt/
noun
con·com·i·tant
Pronunciation:
-m&-t&nt
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin concomitant-, concomitans, present participle of
concomitari to accompany, from com- + comitari to
accompany, from comit-, comes companion -- more at
COUNT
: accompanying especially in a subordinate or incidental way
- con·com·i·tant·ly adverb
amyg·da·la
Pronunciation:
&-'mig-d&-l&
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural amyg·da·lae
/-"lE,
-"lI/
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, almond, from Greek amygdalE
: the one of the four basal ganglia in each cerebral hemisphere
that is part of the limbic system and consists of an almond-shaped mass
of gray matter in the anterior extremity of the temporal lobe -- called
also amygdaloid nucleus
pen·um·bra
Pronunciation:
p&-'n&m-br&
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural pen·um·brae
/-(")brE,
-"brI/; or -bras
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin paene almost + umbra
shadow -- more at
UMBRAGE
1 a : a space of partial illumination (as in an eclipse)
between the perfect shadow on all sides and the full light b :
a shaded region surrounding the dark central portion of a sunspot
2 : a surrounding or adjoining region in which something
exists in a lesser degree :
FRINGE
3 : a body of rights held to be guaranteed by implication
in a civil constitution
- pen·um·bral
/-br&l/
adjective
ubiq·ui·tous
Pronunciation:
yü-'bi-kw&-t&s
Function: adjective
: existing or being everywhere at the same time :
constantly encountered :
WIDESPREAD
- ubiq·ui·tous·ly adverb
- ubiq·ui·tous·ness noun
pleth·o·ra
Pronunciation:
'ple-th&-r&
Function: noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin, from Greek plEthOra, literally,
fullness, from plEthein to be full -- more at
FULL
1 : a bodily condition characterized by an excess of blood
and marked by turgescence and a florid complexion
2 :
EXCESS,
SUPERFLUITY; also
:
PROFUSION,
ABUNDANCE
- ple·tho·ric
/pl&-'thor-ik,
ple-, -'thär-; 'ple-th&-rik/ adjective
Teu·ton·ic
Function: adjective
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the
Teutons
- Teu·ton·i·cal·ly /-ni-k(&-)lE/
adverb
Teu·ton
Pronunciation:
'tü-t&n, 'tyü-
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin Teutoni, plural
1 : a member of an ancient probably Germanic or Celtic
people
2 : a member of a people speaking a language of the
Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family; especially
:
pej·ora·tive
Function: adjective
Etymology: Late Latin pejoratus, past participle of pejorare
to make or become worse, from Latin pejor worse; akin to
Sanskrit padyate he falls, Latin ped-, pes foot -- more at
FOOT
: having negative connotations; especially :
tending to disparage or belittle :
DEPRECIATORY
- pe·jo·ra·tive·ly adverb
mo·di·cum
Pronunciation:
'mä-di-k&m also 'mO-
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, neuter of modicus
moderate, from modus measure
: a small portion : a limited quantity
pre·di·lec·tion
Pronunciation:
"pre-d&l-'ek-sh&n, "prE-
Function: noun
Etymology: French prédilection, from Medieval Latin
praediligere to love more, prefer, from Latin prae- + diligere
to love -- more at
DILIGENT
: an established preference for something
synonyms
PREDILECTION,
PREPOSSESSION,
PREJUDICE,
BIAS mean an attitude of mind
that predisposes one to favor something.
PREDILECTION implies a strong liking deriving from one's
temperament or experience <a predilection for horror movies>.
PREPOSSESSION suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude
objective judgment of anything counter to it <a prepossession
against technology>.
PREJUDICE usually implies an
unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion,
fear, or intolerance <a mindless prejudice against the
unfamiliar>.
BIAS implies an unreasoned and
unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing
<the common bias against overweight people>.
ephem·er·al
Pronunciation:
i-'fem-r&l, -'fEm-; -'fe-m&-, -'fE-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Greek ephEmeros lasting a day, daily, from epi- +
hEmera day
1 : lasting one day only <an ephemeral fever>
2 : lasting a very short time <ephemeral pleasures>
synonym see
TRANSIENT
- ephem·er·al·ly /-r&-lE/
adverb
tran·sub·stan·ti·a·tion
Pronunciation:
-"stan(t)-shE-'A-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : an act or instance of
transubstantiating or being
transubstantiated
2 : the miraculous change by which according to Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox dogma the eucharistic elements at their
consecration become the body and blood of Christ while keeping only the
appearances of bread and wine
tel·e·ol·o·gy
Pronunciation:
"te-lE-'ä-l&-jE, "tE-
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin teleologia, from Greek tele-, telos
end, purpose + -logia -logy -- more at
WHEEL
1 a : the study of evidences of design in nature b
: a doctrine (as in vitalism) that ends are immanent in nature
c : a doctrine explaining phenomena by final causes
2 : the fact or character attributed to nature or natural
processes of being directed toward an end or shaped by a purpose
3 : the use of design or purpose as an explanation of
natural phenomena
- tel·e·ol·o·gist /-jist/
noun
de·on·tol·o·gy
Pronunciation:
"dE-"än-'tä-l&-jE
Function: noun
: the theory or study of moral obligation
- de·on·to·log·i·cal /"dE-"än-t&-'lä-ji-k&l/
adjective
- de·on·tol·o·gist /"dE-"än-'tä-l&-jist/
noun
ru·bric
Pronunciation:
'rü-brik, -"brik
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English rubrike red ocher, heading in red
letters of part of a book, from Middle French rubrique, from
Latin rubrica, from rubr-, ruber red
1 a : an authoritative rule; especially : a
rule for conduct of a liturgical service b (1) :
NAME,
TITLE; specifically
: the title of a statute (2) : something under which a
thing is classed :
CATEGORY <the sensations
falling under the general rubric, "pressure" -- F. A. Geldard>
c : an explanatory or introductory commentary :
GLOSS; specifically
: an editorial interpolation
2 : a heading of a part of a book or manuscript done or
underlined in a color (as red) different from the rest
3 : an established rule, tradition, or custom
- rubric or ru·bri·cal /-bri-k&l/
adjective
- ru·bri·cal·ly /-bri-k(&-)lE/
adverb
ecru
Pronunciation:
'e-(")krü, 'A-(")krü
Function: noun
Etymology: French écru, literally, unbleached, raw, from Old
French escru, from es- completely (from Latin ex-)
+ cru raw, from Latin crudus -- more at
RAW
:
BEIGE 2
- ecru adjective
Pan·gloss·ian
Pronunciation:
pan-'glä-sE-&n, pa[ng]-, -'glo-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Pangloss, optimistic tutor in Voltaire's Candide
(1759)
: marked by the view that all is for the best in this best of
possible worlds : excessively optimistic
hu·bris
Pronunciation: 'hyü-br&s
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek hybris
: exaggerated pride or self-confidence
- hu·bris·tic /hyü-'bris-tik/ adjective
du·plic·i·ty
Pronunciation: du-'pli-s&-tE also dyu-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Etymology: Middle English duplicite, from Middle French, from
Late Latin duplicitat-, duplicitas, from Latin duplex
1 : contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or
action; especially : the belying of one's true intentions
by deceptive words or action
2 : the quality or state of being double or twofold
3 : the technically incorrect use of two or more distinct
items (as claims, charges, or defenses) in a single legal action
Byz·an·tine
Pronunciation: 'bi-z&n-"tEn, 'bI-, -"tIn; b&-'zan-", bI-'
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient city
of Byzantium
2 : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a
style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire especially in
the 5th and 6th centuries featuring the dome carried on pendentives over
a square and incrustation with marble veneering and with colored mosaics
on grounds of gold
3 : of or relating to the churches using a traditional
Greek rite and subject to Eastern canon law
4 often not capitalized a : of, relating to,
or characterized by a devious and usually surreptitious manner of
operation <a Byzantine power struggle> b :
intricately involved :
LABYRINTHINE <rules of Byzantine
complexity>
P.O.S.T.
Command College Class 39
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content copyright of Merriam-Webster
Online
http://cc39.oxnardpd.org/lexicon.htm
Last updated
April 14, 2006 |
