Vocab 10/23/15

expostulate (v) -- to reason earnestly with someone in an effort to dissuade or correct; remonstrate

remonstrate (v) -- to say or plead in protest, objection, or reproof

immolation (n) -- to kill (an animal, for instance) as a religious sacrifice

exemplum (n) -- 1. an example 2. a brief story used to make a point in an argument or to illustrate a moral truth

Vocab 10/17/15

decollate (v) -- to behead

billet (v) -- to provide lodging for

sucrotic (adj.) -- of or relating to sucrose (i.e. sugar); sucrotically is a euphonious adverb.

euphonious (adj.) -- pleasing or agreeable to the ear

augrette (n) -- a decorated feather or plume

calotte (n) -- a skullcap, especially worn by Roman Cahtolic priests (often red)

Vocab 10/15/15

cogent (adj.) -- appealing to the intellect or powers of reasoning; convincing

stein (n) -- a beer mug, especially one that is large or decorated

carb (n) -- a carburetor 

carburetor (n) -- 1. a device used in internal-combustion engines to produce an explosive mixture of vaporized fuel and air 2. a small hole in the side of a bong or water pipe that is stopped with a finger and then quickly unstopped as a person is inhaling to force smoke out of the drawing end of the pipe

plangent (adj.) -- loud and resounding

hypocapnia (n) -- a state in which the level of carbon dioxide in the blood is lower than normal; can result from deep or rapid breathing

parlous (adj.) -- fraught with danger

lilliputian (adj.) -- very small
                  (n) -- a very small person or being

Vocab 10/14/2015

schist (n) -- any of various medium-grained to coarse-grained metamorphic rocks composed of laminated, often flaky parallel layers of chiefly micaceous minerals

micaceous (adj.) -- any of a group of chemically and physically related aluminum silicate minerals, common in igneous and metamorphic rocks, characteristically splitting into flexible sheets used in insulation and electrical equipment

dysphoria (n) -- an emotional state characterized by anxiety, depression, or unease

rapacious (adj.) -- having or showing a strong or excessive desire to acquire money or possess things; greedy

Vocab 6/15/15

oeuvre (n) -- the sum of the lifework of an artist, writer, or composer

apotheosis (n) -- 1. exaltation to divine rank or stature; deification 2. elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification

Vocab 3/17/2015

ether (n) -- 1. the element believed in ancient and medieval civilizations to fill all space above the sphere of the moon and to compose the stars and planets 2. any of a class of organic compounds in which two hydrocarbon groups are linked by an oxygen atom

Vocab 3/4/15 (PPFTF)

potentate (n) -- one who has the power and position to rule over others; a monarch

Vocab 2/26/2015

empennage (n) -- the tail assembly of an aircraft, including the horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators, and rudder

visage (n) -- the face or facial expression of a person; countenance

countenance (n) -- appearance, especially the expression of the face; facial features

clincher (n) -- colloq. a point, fact, or remark that settles something conclusively; a decisive factor

syncope (n) -- 1. Grammar the shortening of a word by omission of a sound, letter, or syllable from the middle of the word; for example, bos'n for boatswain 2. Medicine a brief loss of consciousness caused by inadequate blood flow to the brain

boatswain (n) -- a warrant officer or petty officer in charge of a ship's rigging, anchors, cables, and deck crew

Vocab 2/20/15

doggo (adv.) -- in concealment: Martha lies doggo in the turnstile's tinted phone booth.

parthenogenesis (n) -- a form of reproduction in which an unfertilized egg develops into a new individual, occurring commonly among insects and certain other arthropods

logomania (n) -- a mania for words or talking

mania (n) -- an excessively intense enthusiasm, interest, or desire

preternatural (n) -- surpassing what is normal or usual; extraordinary

ballast (n) -- heavy material that is carried to improve stability or maintain proper trim, as on a ship, or to limit buoyancy, as on a balloon

The Goings On I

So here I commence my invention of a supportive, alter-egoish persona: YGF.

YGF (Your Good Friend) is basically what I consider to be my letter-writing persona. I feel this is a nice facilitation for me, because I'm really very insecure in how I'm being perceived in letters and direct considerations and so forth. If you'd like to picture what exactly YGF might look like, just imagine a like a bust of a large, burly Caucasian face complete with sun-baked skin and a magnificent, jaw-encapsulating butt chin. Also, there're two round glasses with sheen hiding his eyes. a blonde wavy 'fro to rival '80s Zeus, and a golden halo floating in effulgence above the head. That's it. He's me; I'm him; we're one pee in a pod.

Vocab 2/19/15

sphagnum (n) -- any of various mosses of the genus Sphagnum of wet acidic areas, having long fibrous leafy stems, the decomposed remains of which form a type of peat

Vocab 2/18/15

askance (adv.) -- with disapproval, suspicion, or distrust

cloister (n) -- a covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that face a quadrangle (v) -- to shut away from the world in or as if in a cloister; seclude

vicissitude (n) -- a change or variation; the quality of being changeable; mutability

Vocab 2/6/15

apropos (adj.) -- at an appropriate time; opportunely

Note: I just found out I was admitted to BSC. 

Vocab 2/5/15

perspicacious (adj.) -- having or showing penetrating mental discernment; clear-sighted

paginate (v) -- to number the pages of; page

catheter (n) -- a hollow flexible tube for insertion into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow the passage of fluids or distend a passageway; its uses include the drainage of urine from the bladder through the urethra or insertion through a blood vessel into the heart for diagnostic purposes

cabal (n) -- a conspiratorial group of plotters or intriguers

ziggurat (n) -- a temple tower of ancient Mesopotamia, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories

Vocab 2/4/15

captious (adj.) -- marked by a disposition to find and point out trivial faults

defunct (adj.) -- having ceased to exist or live

scruple (n) -- 1. an uneasy feeling arising from conscience or principle that tends to hinder action 2. a unit of apothecary weight equal to about 1.3 grams, or 20 grains

amiable (adj.) -- friendly and agreeable in disposition; good-natured and likable

belie (v) -- to give a false representation to; misrepresent

Interesting Stuff I

• Abduction is movement away from the center, as spreading the toes or fingers apart.
• Adduction is movement toward the midline of the body, as bringing the fingers and toes together. (Adduction and abduction always refer to movements of the appendicular skeleton).
• Angular motion is comprised of flexion, extension, adduction, and abduction. Each is based on reference to a certain anatomical position.
• Circumduction is a special type of angular motion, described as making circular movements as moving the arm in a loop.
• Dorsiflexion / Plantar flexion refers to movements of the foot. Dorsiflexion is the movement of the ankle while elevating the sole, as if digging in the heel. Plantar flexion is the opposite movement, extending the ankle and elevating the heel, as ifstanding on tiptoes.
• Elevation / Depression occurs when a structure moves in a superior or inferior direction, as the mandible is depressed when the mouth is opened and elevated when the mouth is closed.
• Extension occurs in the same plane as flexion, except that it increases the angle between articulating elements. Extension reverses the movement of flexion. Hyperextension is a continuation of movement past the anatomical position, which can cause injury.
• Flexion is movement in the anterior-posterior plane that reduces the angle between the articulating elements as in bringing the head toward the chest; that is, flexing the intervertebral joints of the neck.
• Gliding occurs when two opposing surfaces slide past each other as between articulating carpals and tarsals and between the clavicles and sternum.
• Opposition is a special movement of the thumb which enables it to grasp and hold an object.
• Pronation / Supination refers to the rotation of the distal end of the radius across the anterior surface of the ulna. This rotation moves the wrist and hand from palm-facing-front (supination) to palm-facing-back (pronation).
• Protraction entails moving a part of the body anteriorly in the horizontal plane, as in jutting the face forward to gain distance at a finish line.
• Retraction is the reverse movement of protraction as in pulling the jaw back towards the spine.
• Rotation involves turning the body or a limb around the longitudinal axis, as rotating the arm to screw in a lightbulb.

Taken from http://www.innvista.com/health/anatomy/types-of-movement/.

Vocab 2/1/15 (PPFTF)

augury (n) -- the art, ability, or practice of auguring; divination

augur (n) -- one of a group of ancient Roman religious officials who foretold events by observing and interpreting signs and omens (v) -- to predict, especially from signs or omens; foretell

divination (n) -- the art or act of foretelling future events or revealing occult knowledge by means of augury or an alleged supernatural agency

Vocab 1/31/15 (FPFTP)

sesquipedalian (n) -- a long word (adj.) -- given to or characterized by the use of long words

caber (n) -- a long heavy wooden pole tossed end over end as a demonstration of strength in Scottish highland games

Volapük (n) -- an artificial international language based on English

Vocab 1/30/15

ineluctable (adj.) -- not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable

gestalt (n) -- a physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts

sobriquet (n) -- an affectionate or humorous nickname

debenture (n) -- a certificate or voucher acknowledging a debt

prescience (n) -- knowledge of actions or events before they occur; foresight

Vocab 1/29/15

clemency (n) -- a disposition to show mercy, especially toward an offender or enemy

cabaret (n) -- a restaurant or nightclub providing short programs of live entertainment

laggard (n) -- someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind

palisade (n) -- a fence of pales forming a defense barrier or fortification

commingle (v) -- to become blended

yuppie (n) -- a young city or suburban resident with a well-paid professional job and an affluent lifestyle

gloaming (n) -- twilight; dusk