Words of the Day 4th Quarter April 11, 2013June 11, 2013 4/11 bon vivant (n.

) one who enjoys good food and other pleasant things 4/12 par excellence (adj.) in the greatest degree of excellence 4/15 pice de rsistance (n.) the principal dish of a meal; the main item or event in a series 4/16 quid pro quo (n.) one thing in return for another 4/17 savoir faire (n.) a ready knowledge of what to do or say; tact 4/18 vis--vis (n.) a person or thing that is face to face with another; opposite; in in reference to 4/19 bucolic (adj.) rural; rustic; pastoral 4/22 crotchety (adj.) full of peculiar whims; ill-tempered; eccentric 4/23 disconsolate (adj.) sad; dejected; cheerless 4/24 genteel (adj.) well-bred; refined; excessively polite 4/25 truculent (adj.) fierce; cruel; savage 4/26 vacuous (adj.) empty; purposeless; stupid; senseless 4/29 iota (n) a very small quantity; a jot 4/30 lissome (adj.) supple; limber; flexible 5/1 magnitude (adj.) greatness of size or extent; importance or influence 5/2 serpentine (adj.) evilly cunning or subtle; treacherous; coiled; twisting 5/3 smidgen (n) a small amount; a bit 5/6 tenuous (adj.) unsubstantial; flimsy; physically thin 5/7 malapropism (n) a ridiculous misuse of words, especially by confusion of words that are similar in sound 5/8 paradigm (n) an example or pattern 5/9 polyglot (n) knowing many or several languages; containing, composed of, or in several languages; a confusion of languages 5/10 semantics (n) the study of meaning; the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form 5/13 countermand (v) to cancel or revoke a command; to call back by a contrary order 5/14 gainsay (v) to deny; to speak or act against; contradiction; denial 5/15 gobbledygook (n) a wordy and generally unintelligible jargon; specialized language meaningless to others outside a group 5/16 harangue (n) a long, blustering, noisy, or scolding speech; tirade 5/17 mellifluous (adj.) sounding sweet and smooth; honeyed 5/20 resonant (adj.) echoing; reinforced and prolonged by reflection or by sympathetic Vibration of other bodies 5/21 canon (n) a religious or a secular law or code of laws; a basis for judgment; any officially recognized set of books 5/22 recession (n.) the act of withdrawing or going back; a moderate and temporary

decline in economic activity 5/23 subversion (n.) a ruination or complete destruction; corruption; complete overthrow 5/24 surrogate (n.) a substitute; a judge having jurisdiction over the settlement of estates 5/27 Memorial Day 5/28 tandem (n.) a relationship between two persons or things involving cooperative action and mutual dependence 5/29 traverse (v.) to pass, move, or extend over or across; to swivel or pivot, zigzag 5/30 trek (v.) to travel slowly or laboriously; to go, especially by foot 5/31 wanderlust (n.) an impulse, longing, or urge to travel or wander 6/3 wayfarer (n.) a person who travels, especially from place to place on foot 6/4 LPHS Graduation 6/4 concierge (n.) doorkeeper; caretaker, usually in an upscale hotel 6/5 despotic (adj.) acting like a tyrant 6/6 prohibitive (adj) very expensive; forbidding something 6/7 ossified (v.) to become fixed and rigid 6/10 profligacy (adj.) extremely extravagant or wasteful 6/11 dog days (pl. n.) the hottest period of summer; a lazy or inactive period of time