Posts Tagged ‘Merriam-Webster’

25
Jun

Word of the Week: phreaker

Good morning, Word Fans! Last week’s WOW was nescience. The Merriam-Webster definition for nescience is: lack of knowledge or awareness or ignorance. No one guessed the meaning to this work so I guess we’re all showing our nescience about nescience????

Today’s WOW is phreaker. Here are my definition guesses for phreaker:

phreaker (ˈfrē-kər) 1. a streaker carrying a phone 2. one who freaks about philosophy 3. a speaker who only speaks in phrases (In other words, a poet.)

What is your guess for phreaker? Comment below and let’s see who came closest.

Next Post: Painting Exterior Doors

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: nescience; Word of the Week: jocose; and Word of the Week: flocculate

30
May

Word of the Week: veld

Howdy, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was bloviate. The Merriam-Webster definition is: to speak or write verbosely and windily. How have I gone over a half century not knowing this word when I’m quite obviously a bloviator. Example A right here, folks!

The father-in-law gets darn close on this one–honestly, he should win this one because he stated that it’s about talking at great length with a lot of hot air and that’s probably the connotation of this word in every day use. I hear Bill O’Reilly is a bloviator. Not sure I’m wild about being lumped in there with Mr. O’Reilly, but I suppose there are lots of ways to be verbose!

This week’s WOW is veld. Here are my guesses for its definition; I feel like I should know this one, but I’m not completely certain of its definition:

22
May

Word of the Week: bloviate

Yes, yes, yes, I know…I’m late with this post. But here’s the good news–I’ve written the rough draft of 53 pages of my book. At least I think that’s good news.

Last week’s WOW was agon. Merriam-Webster says that agon means the dramatic conflict between the chief characters in a literary work. The DD was right on target with her guess that it had to do with fighting!

This week’s WOW is bloviate. Here are my guesses for it:

bloviate (ˈblō-vē-ˌāt) 1. what happens to your insides when you realize you’ve just blown it 2. a former Soviet 3. inflating something, preferably not your ego

What’s your guess for bloviate? Comment below to see if you are right next week!

Wednesday’s Post: Interior Door Staining

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: agon; Word of the Week; blench; and Word of the Week: sacerdotal

07
May

Word of the Week: blench

Welcome, Word Lovers! Last week’s Word of the Week (WOW) was sacerdotal. According to Merriam-Webster Online, sacerdotal means of, or relating to, priests or a priesthood. No comment.

This week’s WOW is blench. Here are my guesses for blench:

blench (ˈblench) 1. a bleached belch 2. a blue bench 3. a stench from brunch 4. a black wrench 5. a blend of enchiladas

What are your guesses for blench? No fair looking it up first! Comment below with your guess.

Wednesday’s Post: Floors, Part 2

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: sacerdotal and Word of the Week: interpellate

30
Apr

Word of the Week: sacerdotal

Howdy, Word Lovers!

WOW (Word of the Week) is baaaaaaaack! I’m going to start “fresh” and instead of me giving the true definition for the previous WOW, I’m will simply start with my guesses for sacerdotal. Don’t forget to comment below if you have a guess or already know the definition of it!

sacerdotal (sa-sər-ˈdō-tᵊl) 1. doting on a saucer 2. a story involving soccer 3. something tasting like saccharin.

No fair looking up the definition!

Wednesday’s Post: Logging some more Rhythms

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: interpellate and Word of the Week: infrangible

15
Aug

Word of the Week: interpellate

Dictionary --Word of the Week

Good morning, Word Nerds! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was infrangible. The father-in-law chimed in with his definition that it means “unbreakable or indivisible.” He also noted that it was a much shorter definition than last week’s! 🙂

Merriam-Webster Online says that infrangible means:

  1. not capable of being broken or separated into parts

  2. not to be infringed or violated

Can I just have the vocabulary my father-in-law has forgotten????

This week’s WOW is interpellate. Here are my guesses for interpellate:

interpellate (in-tər-ˈpe-ˌlāt, in-ˈtər-pə-ˌlāt) 1. legal matters that are between appellate courts 2. the space between pellets 3. interstellar appellate courts 4. the mental process in which a person connects two distinctly different ideas and synthesizes them into a new idea

What’s your guess for interpellate? Submit a comment below this post! Thank you for “playing.”

Wednesday’s Post: Phase III

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11
Jul

Word of the Week: caparison

Dictionary --Word of the Week

Howdy, Word Nerds! Last week I chose to salute the 4th of July. So, we need to go back two weeks to Beltane. According to Merriam-Webster Online, Beltane is: the Celtic May Day festival. Remind me of that next May.

Today’s WOW (Word of the Week) really is caparison. No, I didn’t misspell it.

Here are my guesses for caparison:

caparison: (kə-ˈper-ə-sən) 1. a comparison of capes 2. a comparison of Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod 3. a comparison of capitals 4. being stuck on comparisons of words that begin with “ca”

What’s do you think caparison means? Your guess deserves “center stage”, so leave a guess below!

Wednesday’s Post: More Log Rhythms!

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: patriotism and Word of the Week: Beltane

13
Jun

Word of the Week: ablution

Dictionary --Word of the Week

Good morning, Word Nerds! Did you have a restful weekend? Good! That makes one of us. See my post this coming Wednesday for why. 

Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was vox populi. Okay, so it’s two words. Merriam-Webster’s definition of vox populi is: popular sentiment. There was actually a little bit of debate about this within the family and I think the highly knowledgeable father-in-law won the debate! Hint, Hint: I’d love even more debate for WOW, so argue away, as far as I’m concerned!

This week’s WOW is ablution. This word sounds so familiar to me, but I sure am not coming up with the definition! Can I chalk this up to Pre-heimers??? Here are my guesses for ablution:

ablution: (ə-ˈblü-shən) 1. abdomen pollution 2. an absolute solution 3. able dilution

What’s your guess for ablution? Submit a guess below this post! And debate away, gang!

Wednesday’s Post: Pictures and Tales from the Log-Raising!

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: vox populi and Word of the Week: pandiculation

06
Jun

Word of the Week: vox populi

Dictionary --Word of the Week

Good morning, Word Nerds! Last week’s WOW was pandiculation. The Merriam-Webster definition for pandiculation is: a stretching and stiffening especially of the trunk and extremities (as…after waking from sleep). This definition came from my bestest buddy:

“A panda verbalizing. Panda- from the Latin Pandus as in spreading round in a wide curved arch (I believe that Pandas were originally named this because of their wide, curved bottoms) iculation-from the Latin Locutiounis as in style of speaking. Thus the inferred meaning: Pandas have wide bottoms that make noise”

Now you know why she’s my bestest buddy. If you think this is amusing, go to a Star Wars movie with her. I’m amazed we didn’t get kicked out of theaters for antics during the fight scenes.

Today’s WOW (Word of the Week) is vox populi. Today I feel like giving you an extra definition. Here are my definition guesses for it:

vox populi (ˈväks-ˈpä-pyü-ˌlī) 1. many voices 2. verbosity 3. deafening sound 4. the chaos resulting from my household feeding an entire sports team Wednesday night dinner

28
Mar

Word of the Week: diapason

Good morning, Word Nerds! Hope you had a blessed Easter weekend!

Last week’s WOW was captious. Merriam-Webster says that captious means: 

  1. marked by an often ill-natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections

  2.  calculated to confuse, entrap, or entangle in argument

So, when I berate myself over character flaws, a forgiving God could say I’m being captious! 

Today’s WOW is diapason. I know I’ve heard this before, but I’m blanking on the definition, so I’m sure one of you knows the correct definition! Here are my 3 guesses for diapason:

diapason: (dī-ə-ˈpā-zən) 1. a REAL diaper genie (one who pops into your home to change diapers) 2. the diagonal of a trapezoid 3. the unconscious state from dieting for too long

So, have at it! Remind me of the true definition by submitting a comment below this post!

Wednesday’s Post: Out of breath?

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