Word Fact

The word, "Hector" derives from Greek Hektor. In Greek mythology, he's the chief Trojan warrior and the eldest son of Priam, King of Troy.

Bucolic

of or pertaining to shepherds; pastoral

The bucolic town had a deadly secret.

A better word than:

pastoral
rural

Tyranny

arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority

The male tyranny practiced in traditional Japan has influenced my father's view on gender roles.

A better word than:

dictatorship
dominating
oppression
abusing power

Succor

help; relief; aid; assistance.

To this day I regret ending my friendship with Phil out of fear that his girlfriend would be jealous because I've never met a person whose intentions were so succor.

A better word than:

help
relief
aid
assistance

Cunctation

delay

I had no idea that a cunctation would occur with my move.

A better word than:

delay

Fanfaronade

empty boasting: bluster

I'm so put off by people who make a chronic habit out of overestimating themselves in virtually every field only to discover that it's nothing more than fanfaronade behavior.

A better word than:

bluster
empty boasting
bragging

Vulcanize

to treat (rubber or rubberlike material) chemically to give useful properties (as elasticity or strength)

The process of vulcanizing rubber has aided in our modern lifestyle.

A better word than:

treating
altering

Dissonant

disagreeing or harsh in sound; discordant

Being an adult and not owing my friend's mother an explanation for a one month absence, which isn't uncommon, her dissonant interrogations were unexpected and unreasonable.

A better word than:

disagreeing
discordant
conflicting
discrepant
incongruous

Word Fact

The word choreography comes from the ancient Greek word khoreia, meaning "to dance in unison," which in turn originated with the Greek word khoros, meaning "chorus."

NOTE: Word fact has been rescheduled to Mondays. We all hate Mondays because it's when the weekend is officially over. Monday is when many of us resume work that requires mental stimulation and focus. So I thought it would be appropriate to begin the week with something mentally invigorating.

Laconic

using few words; expressing much in few words; concise: a laconic reply

I often envy other peoples' laconic abilities.

A better word than:

concise

Perfunctory

performed merely as a routine, duty; hasty and superficial: perfunctory courtesy.

I took time off from school because I wanted more than a perfunctory education.

A better word than:

routine
duty

Quixotic

caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality

I'm astounded when I see grown adults occupy their time with quixotic thoughts the way I did as a child. While it's important to have dreams, living in reality is important especially when you've filed for bankruptcy or you spend thousands on tuition and you never attend school.

A better word than:

idealist

Word Fact

Have you ever wondered why pound is abbreviated lb.? I always did. The abbreviation lb. derives from the Latin word libra, which means pound balance. When the English decided to follow the pound measurement guide, the Latin abbreviation lb. remained.

Discordant

being at variance; disagreeing; incongruous: discordant opinions

I don't have the resilience or tolerance to deal with discordant roommates, and a sense of normality and stability has always been a priority in my home life.

A better word than:

disagreeing
varying

Unctuous

characterized by excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, esp. in an affected manner, excessively smooth, suave, or smug.

Some of my friends were so desperate to be with someone, anyone that they couldn't understand why I rejected unctuous men.

A better word than:

pious
smooth
suave
smug

Pensive

dreamily or wistfully thoughtful: a pensive mood

Jensen Ackles has a pensive quality. He's soooooo hot!!!!

A better word than:

dreamy
wistful

Pejorative

having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force: the pejorative affix -

Her pejorative impact on me was partly due to my susceptibility and vulnerability.

A better word than:

disparaging
derogatory
belittling

Demarcate

1. to mark the limits of: delimit

2. to set apart: separate

The police didn't make any effort to demarcate crime violence from our neighborhood.

A better word than:

separate
delimit
divide

Weal

a sound, healthy, or prosperous state: well-being

Meditators and yoga practitioners alike all have common goals to reach weal.

A better word than:

well-being

Word Fact

English speakers once used the term foursquare to describe a rectangle with four equal sides, even though they could say it was simply a square. Threesquare was also used to describe a triangle with equal sides, sixsquare as an alternate for hexagonal, and eightsquare for octagonal. Eventually, foursquare developed a second sense, used to describe persons of things that stand out "squarely" and forthrightly. One can now speak of "foursquare citizens" and "a foursquare response." "Foursquare" can also be an adverb meaning "solidly" or "forthrightly."

New Goal

My goal is to offer a word fact every Friday.

Alacrity

brisk and eagerness; liveliness

The alacrity found in college freshmen doesn't last very long.

A better word than:

eagerness
liveliness
enthusiasm
zeal
excitement
vigorous
invigorating

Parsimonious

careful with money or resources; especially: frugal to the point of stinginess

I keep a list of things I plan to purchased and pursue in life evaluated with a balance between desire and necessity, so I never forget what my goals and guard to keep against becoming parsimonious.

A better word than:

penny-pinching
frugal
miserly
niggardly
stingy
penurious
prudent

Capitulate

1. to surrender often after negotiation of terms

2. to cease resisting: acquiesce

At one point, I was willing to capitulate my creative writing process for a greater societal impact until factors were considered.

A better word than:

surrender
yield
succumb

Baleful

deadly or pernicious in influence

Baleful, Ted Bundy, changed the way psychologists and law enforcements view serial killers.

A better word than:

pernicious in influence
sinister
vindictive
venomous

Objurgation

a harsh rebuke

Objurgations about my skills as a writer is one thing I'm not thick-skinned enough to endure.

A better word than:

rebuke
disapproval

Dereliction

deliberate or conscious neglect; negligence; delinquency: dereliction of duty

My parents' dereliction towards me has traumatized me more than they know, more than I even know.

A better word than:

deliberate neglect
delinquency

Tatterdemalion

1. ragged or disreputable in appearance

2. being in a decayed state or condition: dilapidated

Being so tatterdemalion, you wouldn't guess how prominent he is in society.

A better word than:

ragged in appearance

Egregious

extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant: an egregious mistake, an egregious liar

The egregious decision she made impacted not only her life but that of her child's.

A better word than:

flagrant
atrocious

Palpitate

to pulsate with unusual rapidity from exertion, emotion, disease, etc.,: flutter

His heart palpitated wildly.

A better word than:

flutter
pulsate

Procrustean

marked by arbitrary often ruthless disregard of individual differences of special circumstances

The company abandoned its procrustean scheduling policy, allowing single mothers and other employees to work more flexible hours.

A better word than:

arbitrarily disregarding

Vehement

zealous, ardent, impassioned: a vehement defense; vehement enthusiasm

Vehemently arguing that 67% of California homeowners were defaulting and buying a house when you're unemployed only when the down payment is available went ignored.

A better word than:

zealous
ardent
impassioned

Stultification

to make or cause to appear foolish or ridiculous

Menial work can stultify the mind.

A better word than:

foolish
ridiculous

Indolence

dislike of work; laziness; idleness

Indolence is a common characteristic among spoiled, modern age children.

A better word than:

laziness
idleness

Recrudesce

to break out afresh, as a sore, a disease, or anything else that has been quiescent

Cold sores are a recrudesce nightmare for me every year.

A better word than:

recur
return