Aver
To aver is to state something or declare something is true.
This verb has a serious tone, so you might aver something on a witness stand or you might aver that you won't back down to a challenge.
The verb aver comes to English via the Latin root words ad, meaning "to," and verus, meaning "true."
The word can have the sense of formally declaring something is true, but it can also mean to report positively: @WordCzar
"The grandmother averred that her granddaughter would make a fine veterinarian because of her love and caring for animals."
To aver is to state something or declare something is true.
This verb has a serious tone, so you might aver something on a witness stand or you might aver that you won't back down to a challenge.
The verb aver comes to English via the Latin root words ad, meaning "to," and verus, meaning "true."
The word can have the sense of formally declaring something is true, but it can also mean to report positively: @WordCzar
"The grandmother averred that her granddaughter would make a fine veterinarian because of her love and caring for animals."
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Implacable
An implacable person just can’t be appeased.
If you really offended your best friend and tried every kind of apology but she refused to speak to you again, you could describe her as implacable.
Implacable is derived from the verb to placate, which means to soothe, or to appease.
If you’re babysitting and the kid starts screaming the moment that his parents leave the house, and nothing you give him, be it a toy or ice cream, can calm him down, he might seem implacable.
But try the TV.
It tends to turn screaming kids into silent, happy zombies.
An implacable person just can’t be appeased.
If you really offended your best friend and tried every kind of apology but she refused to speak to you again, you could describe her as implacable.
Implacable is derived from the verb to placate, which means to soothe, or to appease.
If you’re babysitting and the kid starts screaming the moment that his parents leave the house, and nothing you give him, be it a toy or ice cream, can calm him down, he might seem implacable.
But try the TV.
It tends to turn screaming kids into silent, happy zombies.
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Contention
There is nothing "content," or satisfying, about being in contention, and that's probably because the word contention means being in a competition that ends with one side, usually the winning one, being content.
"And in this corner, the contender" is heard at most boxing matches to describe each of the fighters about to go into contention in the ring.
@WordCzar
Sometimes, though, a contention can be a battle of words or a struggle between two parties over a single point.
The expression "bone of contention" describes a narrow object of disagreement that reaches the level of strife, or contention.
For two hungry dogs, though, the bone of contention might be a serious matter.
There is nothing "content," or satisfying, about being in contention, and that's probably because the word contention means being in a competition that ends with one side, usually the winning one, being content.
"And in this corner, the contender" is heard at most boxing matches to describe each of the fighters about to go into contention in the ring.
@WordCzar
Sometimes, though, a contention can be a battle of words or a struggle between two parties over a single point.
The expression "bone of contention" describes a narrow object of disagreement that reaches the level of strife, or contention.
For two hungry dogs, though, the bone of contention might be a serious matter.
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Cogent
When you make a cogent argument, it means your argument is clear and persuasive.
In these days of 24-hour entertainment news and sound-bite sized explanations of complex government policy, it’s hard to find a cogent argument amidst all the emotional outbursts.
Cogent comes from a Latin word meaning to drive together, so cogent thinking is well-organized: it hangs together.
If you try to convince your mayor to build a new park by saying that playgrounds are good, seeing the sky is nice, and raccoons are cool…well that’s not a cogent argument; it’s just random.
But you could cogently argue that parks contribute to civic happiness by providing space for exercise, community, and encounters with nature.
When you make a cogent argument, it means your argument is clear and persuasive.
In these days of 24-hour entertainment news and sound-bite sized explanations of complex government policy, it’s hard to find a cogent argument amidst all the emotional outbursts.
Cogent comes from a Latin word meaning to drive together, so cogent thinking is well-organized: it hangs together.
If you try to convince your mayor to build a new park by saying that playgrounds are good, seeing the sky is nice, and raccoons are cool…well that’s not a cogent argument; it’s just random.
But you could cogently argue that parks contribute to civic happiness by providing space for exercise, community, and encounters with nature.
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Roster
If you see your name on the roster of players for the new softball team, then congratulations! Better start practicing, because you’re on the list of players who made the team. @WordCzar
The word roster originally meant a list of the names, duties, and schedule of members of the military.
That meaning is still in use, but today, a roster is more likely to be a list of players on your favorite team, a list of artists whose artwork appears regularly in a certain gallery, or a list of participants, such as an airline that posts its roster of flight crew members for the red-eye to Phoenix
If you see your name on the roster of players for the new softball team, then congratulations! Better start practicing, because you’re on the list of players who made the team. @WordCzar
The word roster originally meant a list of the names, duties, and schedule of members of the military.
That meaning is still in use, but today, a roster is more likely to be a list of players on your favorite team, a list of artists whose artwork appears regularly in a certain gallery, or a list of participants, such as an airline that posts its roster of flight crew members for the red-eye to Phoenix
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Imperturbable
If you're imperturbable you are not easily upset. If your goal is to be imperturbable, then you can't let things bother you or get you stressed, confused, or angry
The adjective imperturbable is the flip side of perturbable, which comes from perturb, which in turn traces back to the Latin word perturbare, meaning “to confuse” or “to disturb.” @WordCzar
If something really annoying is going on, like one neighbor is jack-hammering his driveway and another has a dog that's barking while you're trying to sleep because you were up all night studying and you really really need a nap, but you stay calm and don’t get upset, you are imperturbable.
If you're imperturbable you are not easily upset. If your goal is to be imperturbable, then you can't let things bother you or get you stressed, confused, or angry
The adjective imperturbable is the flip side of perturbable, which comes from perturb, which in turn traces back to the Latin word perturbare, meaning “to confuse” or “to disturb.” @WordCzar
If something really annoying is going on, like one neighbor is jack-hammering his driveway and another has a dog that's barking while you're trying to sleep because you were up all night studying and you really really need a nap, but you stay calm and don’t get upset, you are imperturbable.
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Mendicants
People who live off begging can be called mendicants.
However, you probably wouldn't call your kids mendicants, even though they beg you for stuff, because the word mendicant also implies extreme poverty. @WordCzar
The noun mendicant can also refer to a man belonging to a religious order, such as the Franciscan Friars — who do not own personal property but live together in a monastery and survive off alms donated by others.
As an
adjective, mendicant describes someone who lives such an existence.
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If you are preparing for UPSC
then join Seven Souls Education
People who live off begging can be called mendicants.
However, you probably wouldn't call your kids mendicants, even though they beg you for stuff, because the word mendicant also implies extreme poverty. @WordCzar
The noun mendicant can also refer to a man belonging to a religious order, such as the Franciscan Friars — who do not own personal property but live together in a monastery and survive off alms donated by others.
As an
adjective, mendicant describes someone who lives such an existence.
..............................................
If you are preparing for UPSC
then join Seven Souls Education
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Contrite
We are sorry to inform you that the adjective contrite means regretful, remorseful, or even guilty.
Someone who feels remorse or guilt is contrite and in addition to feeling sorry, part of the definition includes wanting to atone for having done something wrong.@WordCzar
The word comes from the Latin roots com- meaning "together" and terere which means "to rub." It's also related to the Latin word conterereand is defined as "to bruise."
In the field of theology being contrite is "being remorseful for past sin and resolved to avoid future sin."
We are sorry to inform you that the adjective contrite means regretful, remorseful, or even guilty.
Someone who feels remorse or guilt is contrite and in addition to feeling sorry, part of the definition includes wanting to atone for having done something wrong.@WordCzar
The word comes from the Latin roots com- meaning "together" and terere which means "to rub." It's also related to the Latin word conterereand is defined as "to bruise."
In the field of theology being contrite is "being remorseful for past sin and resolved to avoid future sin."
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Desultory
If you lack a definite plan or purpose and flit from one thing to another, your actions are desultory.
Some people call such desultory wanderings spontaneous. Others call it "being lost." @WordCzar
The adjective desultory comes from the word desultor, which was a circus rider who would leap from the back of one galloping horse onto another.
From this literal sense of jumping from one thing to another, we get the modern meaning of desultory as jumping between things without a logical purpose.
If you lack a definite plan or purpose and flit from one thing to another, your actions are desultory.
Some people call such desultory wanderings spontaneous. Others call it "being lost." @WordCzar
The adjective desultory comes from the word desultor, which was a circus rider who would leap from the back of one galloping horse onto another.
From this literal sense of jumping from one thing to another, we get the modern meaning of desultory as jumping between things without a logical purpose.
Effrontery
If you rudely behave as if you have a right to something that you have no right to, you're committing effrontery.
When a couple stroll into a crowded restaurant, demand the best table, and threaten the staff unless they're seated right away, that's effrontery.
People have been guilty of outrageously self-centered behavior at least since 1715, when effrontery was coined.
Tracing to the French word effronté, meaning "shameless," the word effrontery is also connected to brazen, which means "of brass," and describes someone so accustomed to effrontery that he's hardened to it and has no concern for the harm done to others.
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Join @Electricly if you are interested in Electrical and Electronics
If you rudely behave as if you have a right to something that you have no right to, you're committing effrontery.
When a couple stroll into a crowded restaurant, demand the best table, and threaten the staff unless they're seated right away, that's effrontery.
People have been guilty of outrageously self-centered behavior at least since 1715, when effrontery was coined.
Tracing to the French word effronté, meaning "shameless," the word effrontery is also connected to brazen, which means "of brass," and describes someone so accustomed to effrontery that he's hardened to it and has no concern for the harm done to others.
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Join @Electricly if you are interested in Electrical and Electronics
Bolshie :
Emotionally charged terms used to refer to extreme radicals or revolutionaries
Synonyms:Bolshevik, Marxist, bolshy, red
Emotionally charged terms used to refer to extreme radicals or revolutionaries
Synonyms:Bolshevik, Marxist, bolshy, red
Distend
A soda and pizza binge might make your stomach distend, meaning your stomach will swell as a result of pressure from the inside.
If you’ve ever eaten too much food it won’t surprise you to learn that the verb distend traces back to the Latin words dis-, meaning “apart,” and tendere, meaning “to stretch.” @WordCzar
Your stomach will certainly feel stretched out if you do something — like overeat — that causes it to distend.
The word distend often applies to stomachs — a pregnancy would also cause a stomach to distend — but it can also refer to anything that is stretched out as a result of internal pressure.
A soda and pizza binge might make your stomach distend, meaning your stomach will swell as a result of pressure from the inside.
If you’ve ever eaten too much food it won’t surprise you to learn that the verb distend traces back to the Latin words dis-, meaning “apart,” and tendere, meaning “to stretch.” @WordCzar
Your stomach will certainly feel stretched out if you do something — like overeat — that causes it to distend.
The word distend often applies to stomachs — a pregnancy would also cause a stomach to distend — but it can also refer to anything that is stretched out as a result of internal pressure.
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Immutable
If you can't change it, it's immutable.
There are many things in life that are immutable; these unchangeable things include death, taxes, and the laws of physics.
The adjective immutable has Latin roots that mean "not changeable."
The Latin prefix for not is in, but the spelling changes when the prefix is put before the consonant m.
It is imbefore a root word starting with m as in immutable. If you learn this rule, you'll know the immutable fact that immutable begins with i-m-m.
If you can't change it, it's immutable.
There are many things in life that are immutable; these unchangeable things include death, taxes, and the laws of physics.
The adjective immutable has Latin roots that mean "not changeable."
The Latin prefix for not is in, but the spelling changes when the prefix is put before the consonant m.
It is imbefore a root word starting with m as in immutable. If you learn this rule, you'll know the immutable fact that immutable begins with i-m-m.
Stopgap
A stopgap is a temporary solution to a problem, like a piece of cardboard taped over the broken window in your car.
Until you can get it fixed, you need a stopgap.
This sturdy English native dates to the early 16th century, and like its semantic cousin makeshift, it seems to have been cobbled together by the two closest words at hand.
Both words actually originated from phrasal use of their components: stop a gap for the first, and make shift for the second. Not that they're jury-rigged in any way!
A stopgap is a temporary solution to a problem, like a piece of cardboard taped over the broken window in your car.
Until you can get it fixed, you need a stopgap.
This sturdy English native dates to the early 16th century, and like its semantic cousin makeshift, it seems to have been cobbled together by the two closest words at hand.
Both words actually originated from phrasal use of their components: stop a gap for the first, and make shift for the second. Not that they're jury-rigged in any way!
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Occlude
Occlude means to obstruct, as with an opening.
You hear this a lot in a medical context. Heart surgeons are looking for occlusions in blood vessels––things that occlude the flow of blood.
Occlude does not exist only in a medical context.
If you close the bathroom door so your little brother won't come in while you're trying out makeup with your friends, you're occluding the bathroom.
Meanwhile, your makeup occludes your pores.
Occlude means to obstruct, as with an opening.
You hear this a lot in a medical context. Heart surgeons are looking for occlusions in blood vessels––things that occlude the flow of blood.
Occlude does not exist only in a medical context.
If you close the bathroom door so your little brother won't come in while you're trying out makeup with your friends, you're occluding the bathroom.
Meanwhile, your makeup occludes your pores.
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Cauterize
To cauterize is to seal off a wound or incision by burning it or freezing it, usually with a hot iron, electricity, or chemicals.
Metaphorically, cauterize means to make less sensitive to feelings and emotions.
@WordCzar
Cauterize is usually a medical term. In surgery, using an electrical tool to cauterize the incision seals off blood vessels, resulting in a cleaner operation that heals more easily.
Extreme cold, electricity, and chemicals are also used outside the body cauterize, or "burn off," warts and vessels that cause nosebleeds.
To cauterize is to seal off a wound or incision by burning it or freezing it, usually with a hot iron, electricity, or chemicals.
Metaphorically, cauterize means to make less sensitive to feelings and emotions.
@WordCzar
Cauterize is usually a medical term. In surgery, using an electrical tool to cauterize the incision seals off blood vessels, resulting in a cleaner operation that heals more easily.
Extreme cold, electricity, and chemicals are also used outside the body cauterize, or "burn off," warts and vessels that cause nosebleeds.
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Intractable :
Can't manage your stubborn little brother who won't do what anyone says? You could call him intractable, or you could call your mother.
Problems are intractable when they can't be solved.
Intractable means not tractable.
Helpful, right? No? Let's break it down.
In both words you see the word tract. A contract is a written document that explains how a legal situation is to be managed together.
When someone is tractable they are able to be managed or handled. When they are intractable, they are as unmanageable as a hungry two-year old.
Can't manage your stubborn little brother who won't do what anyone says? You could call him intractable, or you could call your mother.
Problems are intractable when they can't be solved.
Intractable means not tractable.
Helpful, right? No? Let's break it down.
In both words you see the word tract. A contract is a written document that explains how a legal situation is to be managed together.
When someone is tractable they are able to be managed or handled. When they are intractable, they are as unmanageable as a hungry two-year old.
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