The Big Book of Words You Should Know

by David Olsen

  During the excavation, the crew discovered a number of ancient food preparation items, including wooden PESTLES, clay crocks, and eating utensils made of polished bone.

  phaeton (FAY-ih-tin), noun

  A lightweight four-wheeled passenger carriage drawn by horses.

  The PHAETON, once a common sight on any city street, was eventually phased out and replaced by the automobile.

  phantasmagoria (fan-taz-muh-GORE-ee-uh), noun

  A dreamlike, constantly changing series of visions.

  The avant-garde film had no dialogue or plot in the traditional sense; it was essentially a PHANTASMAGORIA set to music.

  phantasmagoric (fan-tazz-muh-GORE-ihk), adjective

  Describes the type of imagery one might see in a dream: mysterious, shifting scenes, filled with incongruous elements.

  The director’s PHANTASMAGORIC images delighted some audience members, while confusing the expectations of others.

  pheromone (FARE-uh-mone), noun

  A substance released by an animal that produces specific physiological reactions or behavioral changes in other animals of the same species.

  The perfume company’s claim that its new perfume contained PHEROMONES that would cause it to act as a human aphrodisiac was the subject of strict scrutiny by federal regulators.

  philter (FIL-tur), noun

  A magical love potion.

  Thinking the glass contained Evian water, Veronica drained the PHILTER to its dregs; her eyes met those of the startled butler, and she melted with tenderness.

  phraseology (fray-zee-ah-LO-jee), noun

  In language, the way phrases and words are employed.

  With her excellent diction, articulation, and PHRASEOLOGY, Holly had a gift for public speaking and debate.

  physiognomy (fiz-ee-OG-nuh-mee), noun

  The human face (especially when regarded as a mirror of one’s emotional state).

  Physiognomy is also the practice of determining a person’s inclination or character from facial signals.

  There was a noticeable change in Doris’s PHYSIOGNOMY as Todd read her the news.

  picayune (PIK-uh-yoon), adjective

  Petty. Something that is trifling or unimportant is picayune.

  Mr. Frankl apparently couldn’t be bothered with such PICAYUNE concerns as what color shirt to wear.

  pied (pied), adjective

  Describes animals, plants, cloth designs, etc. featuring two or more colors.

  The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins believed the strangeness of PIED creatures and plants was a sign of God’s grace.

  planar (PLAY-ner), adjective

  Flat or level, like a geometric plane.

  My boys spent the morning rolling a ball across the PLANAR surface of their new playhouse’s floor.

  plangent (PLAN-jent), adjective

  Describes something loud and, typically, sorrowful.

  The PLANGENT locomotive whistle made Henry drop a tear in his beer.

  plaudit (PLAW-dit), noun

  An expression of gratitude or praise. Plaudits (in the plural) is usually taken to mean “applause.”

  I am unworthy, my friends, of the PLAUDITS you have bestowed on me this evening.

  playa (PLY-uh), noun

  The lowest area of a desert, usually flat and sometimes covered with water.

  The desert’s undrained PLAYA contained the only water for hundreds of miles.

  plebiscite (PLEB-uh-site), noun

  A vote, open to all voters, which decides matters of public policy.

  The annexation was voted down in a PLEBISCITE.

  plutocracy (ploo-TOK-ruh-see), noun

  Rule by the rich. Plutocracy can also refer to the overall influence of the wealthy in social affairs.

  “If PLUTOCRACY were likely to improve the nation’s standard of living,” Gerald said haughtily, “then I would be a plutocrat.”

  polemics (puh-LEM-ik), noun

  The art of argument. Someone who is strong in the field of polemics is gifted in making points by means of controversial discourse with others.

  The talk show host’s great asset was his skill in POLEMICS—not his personality.

  politick (POL-ih-tik), verb

  To talk about or engage in politics.

  Barry spends hours POLITICKING with his associates.

  polity (POL-ih-tee), noun

  A system of government. A nation’s polity is its structure of social and political functioning.

  The POLITIES of the Greek city-states, admired as they may be, cannot serve as a literal model for a modern industrial society.

  polydipsia (pol-ee-DIP-see-uh), noun

  An abnormal or excessive thirst.

  The bartender, clearly uninterested in Ralph’s claim to suffer from POLYDIPSIA, told him flatly that he’ d had enough.

  polyglot (POL-ee-glot), noun

  A person who speaks a number of languages. Someone fluent in French, German, and English would be a polyglot.

  The President’s translator, a POLYGLOT, served him well in missions to Germany, Portugal, and Mexico.

  polymath (PAHL-ee-math), noun

  Someone who is learned in many different areas.

  Even though he never graduated from college, James is known as a POLYMATH.

  pongee (pon-JEE), noun

  A thin, unbleached variety of silk.

  The gauze-like scarf was woven from a delicate PONGEE.

  postern (POSS-turn), noun

  A back or rear door or gate, especially in a castle or fort.

  The fire marshall was unimpressed with our evacuation plan, which required guests, in the event of an emergency, to make their way through a dark, narrow hallway leading to a POSTERN.

  preceptor (pri-SEP-tur), noun

  A school principal, teacher, or instructor.

  Our elementary school’s PRECEPTOR was a stern man who handed out swift discipline to troublemakers.

  premillennial (pre-muh-LEN-ee-uhl), adjective

  In general, premillennial refers to a time just before the start of a new millennium, such as the 1990s. The word has gained increasing usage by some religious groups to describe the time just before the second coming of Jesus Christ, which they believe imminent.

  Trudy left the church after she decided she did not subscribe to its PREMILLENNIAL views.

  prestidigitation (press-tih-dih-jih-TAY-shun), noun

  Sleight of hand, or a magician’s work in general.

  The magician’s acts of PRESTIDIGITATION were a hit at my son’s birthday party.

  priapic (pry-AP-ick), adjective

  Related to the phallus or to a man who is obsessed with his masculinity.

  The medication’s PRIAPIC warnings, that some erections could last longer than four hours, led to a series of jokes by late-night comics.

  procrustean (pro-KRUS-tee-un), adjective

  Seeking to enforce doctrines or theories by violently eliminating all possible alternative viewpoints. Procrustean derives from the name of a fabled thief of ancient Greece who stretched or amputated his victims in order to make them fit a bed exactly.

  The regime’s PROCRUSTEAN tactics are designed to completely eliminate all political dissent.

  prognosticate (prog-NOSS-tih-kate), verb

  To predict. Someone who foretells the future prognosticates.

  As to the game’s final outcome, I refuse to PROGNOSTICATE.

  prolix (pro-LIKS), adjective

  Tediously wordy. Something that is long and verbose is prolix.

  The report was utterly PROLIX; I gave up trying to finish reading it.

  promulgate (PROM-ul-gate), verb

  To put forward publicly. To promulgate can also mean “to announce in an official capacity.”

  The news of the British attack was PROMULGATED by town criers.

  protean (PRO-te-un), adjective

  Versatile; changing form easily.

  As further demonstration of his PROTEAN abilities as an actor, Ned agreed to ap
pear in a six-week run of Henry IV, Part One, playing Falstaff and Hotspur on alternate nights.

  provocateur (pruh-vock-uh-TURR), noun

  From the French meaning “challenger,” a provocateur is someone who deliberately causes trouble or sparks dissension.

  Mick revels in being a PROVOCATEUR, often wearing to church his T-shirts featuring satanic rock bands.

  prurient (PROOR-ee-ent), adjective

  Lewd (said of an idea, representation, account, etcetera). A prurient interest is one focusing excessively on sex.

  “The idea,” Judge Cotlin wrote, “that Joyce’s Ulysses is designed mainly to excite the reader’s PRURIENT interest is absurd.”

  pseudomorph (SOO-doh-morf), noun

  A deceptive or irregular form.

  I thought the shape on the floor was a bug and prepared to squash it with a book, when I realized it was merely a PSEUDOMORPH . . . a piece of dirt or an oddly-colored dust bunny.

  punctilio (pungk-TIL-ee-o), noun

  A fine point of etiquette.

  “Don’t use dessert forks during the main course, please,” my grandmother intoned, reverting to one of her favorite PUNCTILIOS.

  punctilious (punk-TILL-ee-uss), adjective

  Overly attentive to trifling details. Someone who takes great care to dispose of seemingly small matters in a formally correct way is punctilious.

  The PUNCTILIOUS Mrs. Smith took issue with the seating arrangements we had suggested.

  pusillanimous (pyoo-sih-LAN-ih-muss), adjective

  Cowardly; profoundly lacking in noble qualities of courage and mettle.

  The actor made a career of playing PUSILLANIMOUS types in movies and on television, but he was apparently a robust and vigorous man of action in real life.

  pyriform (PEER-uh-form), adjective

  Shaped like a pear.

  “If I get much more PYRIFORM, I’m going to have to rent a space in the produce section,” Vivian complained.

  quahog (KO-hog), noun

  An edible clam found off of the Atlantic coastline of North America.

  Every summer Grandpa would take us to his beachhouse in Maine, where we’ d fish and dig for QUAHOGS in the quiet hours before dawn.

  quark (kwork), noun

  An elementary particle. A quark is one of the smallest known quantities of matter.

  Phillip’s work in applied physics focused on the behavior of QUARKS in various environments.

  quiescent (kwee-ESS-unt), adjective

  Dormant; inactive.

  The old QUIESCENT piano that had once rung out triumph after triumph had been standing in its oak-paneled room since the day of its master’s death.

  quietus (kwhy-eat-us), noun

  Something that ends or settles a situation. Also, a word for death or retirement.

  The QUIETUS of the argument arrived when Marteeka made a point that Frieda could not refute.

  quondam (KWAHN-dumm), adjective

  From the Latin meaning “at one time,” quondam means one-time or former.

  Professor Lightyear’s QUONDAM assistant turned to wickedness and soon became an evil genius.

  ratiocinate (rash-ee-OSS-ih-nate), verb

  To reason. To ratiocinate is to probe thoroughly by means of logical examination.

  We have some of the best mathematical minds in the world working on this problem, and yet no one has proved able to RATIOCINATE with sufficient clarity to find a solution.

  recidivism (rih-SID-ih-viz-um), noun

  Repeated relapse into a past condition or behavior.

  The rate of RECIDIVISM for inmates in this institution is woefully high, Warden.

  redact (rih-DAKT), verb

  To revise or edit a manuscript into publishable form. Redact can have a negative connotation, suggesting that edits are made against a writer’s probable wishes.

  Julie was livid when she found how the editors had REDACTED her careful, polished prose.

  refulgent (rih-FUL-junt), adjective

  Radiant.

  A REFULGENT smile crossed Anna’s face when she learned that her loan had been approved.

  remand (rih-MAND), verb

  To send back.

  The judge REMANDED the case much more quickly than had been expected, issuing an unusually thorough set of instructions for the lower court to follow.

  remunerative (rih-MYOON-er-uh-tive), adjective

  Describes something that is profitable.

  Jane quit her day job after she found her online business was more REMUNERATIVE than she’ d expected.

  restive (RES-tive), adjective

  Uneasy; impatient with delay. Someone who is impatient or uncomfortable with present surroundings could be said to be restive.

  The RESTIVE players gathered around the coach, eager to get the game underway.

  reticulate (rih-TIK-yoo-lit), adjective

  Like a net or network. Also, as a verb (rih-TEK-yoo-late), to cause to take the form of a network.

  The maple leaf ’s fibers are RETICULATE in structure.

  rhetoric (RET-ur-ik), noun

  The art of the effective use of language. Rhetoric is also speech or writing calculated to arouse passion.

  Are we ever going to move from empty RHETORIC to a sound plan of action on this issue?

  riposte (rih-POAST), noun

  In fencing, the thrust made in response to an opponent’s parry; also, a retaliatory remark or retort.

  I thought Newman was good-natured enough to handle my jokes about his receding hairline, but his heated RIPOSTE about my weight problem indicated otherwise.

  roué (roo-AY), noun

  A licentious man; a libertine or lecher.

  Although Ernest’s dalliances might have been understandable when he was a young man, they were more difficult for his family to forgive in his later years, when he came to resemble nothing so much as a tired and lonely old ROUÉ.

  rubicon (ROO-bih-kon), noun

  A point beyond which permanent change is unavoidable. The word comes from the name of a river (the Rubicon) once crossed by Julius Caesar in an act that led irrevocably to war.

  In signing the bill, the Governor may have crossed the RUBICON and forever closed the door on his prison reform program.

  rusticate (RUSS-ti-kate), verb

  To move (a person) to the country. Rusticate can also mean “to accustom to country living.”

  I am afraid you will be unable to RUSTICATE Ken; he is a city boy through and through.

  saffron (SAFF-ron), noun

  A variety of crocus that blooms in the autumn.

  Also: a spice. Also: yellow-orange in color.

  The September page of my calendar is my favorite: trees with leaves of red, orange, and gold, surrounded by a field of purple SAFFRON.

  sake (SAH-kee), noun

  A wine-like Japanese beverage made with fermented rice.

  When he returned from California, my father and I dined on sushi and drank warm SAKE at his favorite Japanese restaurant.

  sanctum (SANK-tum), noun

  A holy, sacred place.

  Brandon’s small home office contained little more than a computer, an encyclopedia, and a few pieces of furniture, but it was in this unprepossessing SANCTUM that he wrote his Pulitzer Prize–winning play.

  sangfroid (san-FRWA), noun

  The state of being supremely composed or self-assured, especially in the face of adversity or danger.

  I always marveled at Janie’s SANGFROID before taking exams; I usually got so nervous I could hardly hold a pencil.

  sanguinary (SANG-gwuh-nare-ee), adjective

  Marked by bloodshed.

  They awoke the next morning to find that the battle had been won, but not without cost: it had been the most SANGUINARY encounter of the two-year conflict.

  sanguine (SAN-gwinn), adjective

  Possessing a positive attitude. Sanguine usually carries the sense of being cheerful despite obstacles or potential problems.

  Despite the many set
backs she had faced, Ellen remained SANGUINE.

  saturnine (SAT-ur-neen), adjective

  Moody and morose. Someone who is saturnine is gloomy.

  For some months after the death of his cat, Cosgrove maintained a SATURNINE front.

  scalene (SKAY-leen), noun

  In geometry, having no two equal sides.

  In geometry we learned about the six kinds of triangles: right angle, acute, isosceles, obtuse, equilateral, and SCALENE.

  schadenfreude (SHAH-dun-froy-duh), noun

  An instance of rejoicing at the misfortune of another.

  Wilson’s conviction on perjury charges set off a festival of SCHADENFREUDE among his many conservative detractors.

  schematic (skuh-MAT-ik), adjective and noun

  Having to do with a diagram or scheme. As a noun, schematic can mean “a fully diagrammed plan or drawing.”

  Will you please refer to the SCHEMATIC design I have reproduced on page twelve of your handbook?

  scull (skull), noun and verb

  A long oar used in the stern of a boat; also, a light racing rowboat. As a verb: to propel a boat with a scull.

  Stewart loved to get up early in the morning and SCULL around the calm lake.

  sedulous (SED-yuh-luss), adjective

  Done or crafted with skill, diligence, and care.

  The teen’s SEDULOUS labors at the desert site were rewarded by the discovery of triceratops bones in the third week of the dig.

  semantic (suh-MAN-tic), noun

  Related to or having to do with the diverse levels of meaning accompanying words and symbols.

  Whether we identify them as “streetwalkers” or “prostitutes,” Mr. Mayor, is a matter of SEMANTICS; the fact is that the people plying their trade on our streets at night are reducing the quality of life in our town.

  semantics (suh-MAN-tiks), noun

  The science of the way meaning is communicated through language. A semantic distinction is one focused on the way something is phrased, rather than its underlying reality.

  Whether we say the compensation will be “appropriate” or “competitive” is really a matter of SEMANTICS; we know exactly how much we intend to pay the person we finally hire.

  sententious (sen-TEN-shuss), adjective

  Tending to use many cliches or maxims in order to enlighten others. Someone who shares many sayings or stories in a sanctimonious or preachy way is sententious.

  Polonius’s SENTENTIOUS manner of speaking clearly irritates Hamlet in this scene.

  septuagenarian (sep-tuh-juh-NARE-ee-un), noun