intrepid \in-TREP-id\ (adjective) - Fearless; bold; brave; undaunted; courageous; as, an intrepid soldier; intrepid spirit.

"But the stubborn descendants of the twenty-one intrepid people who plowed through the mountains in search of the sea to the west avoided the reefs of the melodic mixup and dancing went on until dawn." -- Gabriel Garcia ...Read more

heliolatry \hee-lee-OL-uh-tree\ (noun) - Worship of the sun.

"I am certain that if our preparations for greeting the returning sun were seen by other people, either civilised or savage, we would be thought disciples of heliolatry." -- Frederick Albert Cook, Through the first Antarctic night

Heliolatry stems from the Greek helio-, "sun," and -...Read more

bromide \BROH-myd\ (noun) - 1 : A compound of bromine and another element or a positive organic radical. 2 : A dose of potassium bromide taken as a sedative. 3 : A dull person with conventional thoughts. 4 : A commonplace or conventional saying.

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. The words are...Read more

interregnum \in-tuhr-REG-nuhm\ (noun) plural interregnums \-nuhmz\ or interregna \-nuh\ - 1 : The interval between two reigns; any period when a state is left without a ruler. 2 : A period of freedom from authority or during which government functions are suspended. 3 : Any breach of continuity in an order; a lapse or interval in a continuity.

...Read more

cudgel \KUH-juhl\ (noun) - A short heavy stick used as a weapon; a club.

(transitive verb) - To beat with or as if with a cudgel.

"Whatever had been making her dogs uneasy, she'd have to handle it on her own. Rosie Bowe took a heavy piece of firewood as a cudgel and followed them." -- Jim Crace, 'Signals of Distress'

Cudgel derives from Old ...Read more

incarnadine \in-KAR-nuh-dyn\ (adjective, verb) - 1 : Having a fleshy pink color. 2 : Red; blood-red.

(transitive verb) - To make red or crimson.

"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red." -- William Shakespeare...Read more

extemporaneous \ek-stem-puh-RAY-nee-us\ (adjective) - 1 : Composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the moment, or without previous study; unpremeditated; impromptu. 2: Prepared beforehand but delivered without notes or text. 3 : Skilled at or given to extemporaneous speech. 4 : Provided, made, or put to use as an expedient; makeshift.

"In...Read more

foofaraw \FOO-fuh-raw\ (noun) - 1 : Excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration. 2 : A fuss over a matter of little importance.

"As usual, with all cooperation with Tom Lea, Art becomes a 'taking away' process rather than the adding of ornaments, rules, and other foofaraw." -- David R. Farmer, 'Stanley Marcus: A Life With Books'

pettifogger \PET-ee-fog-ur\ (noun) - 1 : A petty, unscrupulous lawyer; a shyster. 2 : A person who quibbles over trivia.

"A more respectable-looking individual was never seen; he really looked what he was, a gentleman of the law -- there was nothing of the pettifogger about him." -- George Borrow, 'Lavengro'

Pettifogger is probably from petty ...Read more

foofaraw \FOO-fuh-raw\ (noun) - 1 : Excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration. 2 : A fuss over a matter of little importance.

"A somber, muted descending motif opens and closes the work, which is brief but effective. It provided much needed relief from the fanfares and foofaraw in which brass-going composers so often indulge." -- Philip ...Read more

coxcomb \KOKS-kohm\ (noun) - 1 : obsolete. A cap worn by court jesters; adorned with a strip of red. (Now cockscomb). 2 : archaic. The top of the head, or the head itself. 3 : Obsolete. A fool. 4 : A vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of display; a superficial pretender to knowledge or accomplishments; a dandy; a fop.

"If thou ...Read more

uxorious \uk-SOR-ee-us; ug-ZOR-\ (adjective) - Excessively fond of or submissive to a wife.

"Flagler seems to have been an uxorious, domestic man, who liked the comfort and companionship of a wife at his side." -- Michael Browning, 'Whitehall at 100'

Uxorious is from Latin uxorius, from uxor, wife.

favonian \fuh-VOH-nee-uhn\ (adjective) - Pertaining to the west wind; soft; mild; gentle.

"With dusk came cool, favonian breezes." -- Ed Darack, 'Wind, Water, Sun'

Favonian is derived from Latin Favonius, "the west wind."

nascent \NAS-uhnt; NAY-suhnt\ (adjective) - Beginning to exist or having recently come into existence; coming into being.

"By the time that John D. Rockefeller was born in 1839, Richford was acquiring the amenities of a small town. It had some nascent industries . . . plus a schoolhouse and a church." -- Ron Chernow, 'Titan'

Nascent comes ...Read more

majuscule \MAJ-uh-skyool\ (adjective) - Of letters written either as capitals or uncials.

(noun) - A large letter, either capital or uncial, used in writing or printing.

"This is the story not of my particular emotions but rather of Theory. Suffice it to say that the self-parody of the appellation, singular and majuscule as if affixed in Plato...Read more

militate \MIL-ih-tayt\ (intransitive verb) - To have force or influence.

"In our current era of politics, many factors militate against changes in policies." -- Reed Hundt, 'You Say You Want a Revolution'

Militate comes from Latin militatus, past participle of militare, "to serve as a soldier," from miles, milit-, "a soldier."

surcease \SUR-sees; sur-SEES\ (noun) - Cessation; stop; end.

"One of his clearest remembrances from childhood was the feeling that swept over him when, on a Saturday morning, the sun had sequestered itself behind a cascade of clouds and rain, thick, relentless walls of rain, came pounding down with no promise of surcease, black greasy rain that...Read more

fanfaronade \fan-fair-uh-NAYD; -NOD\ (noun) - 1 : Swaggering; empty boasting; blustering manner or behavior; ostentatious display. 2 : Fanfare.

"But like a demure singer in a long gown who is surrounded by chorus girls in sequined miniskirts, the statue may seem slightly lost amid the fanfaronade." -- Richard Stengel, 'Rockets will glare and ...Read more

insouciant \in-SOO-see-uhnt; Fr. an-soo-SYAHN\ (adjective) - Marked by lighthearted unconcern or indifference; carefree; nonchalant.

"The insouciant gingerbread man skips through the pages with glee, until he meets his . . . demise at the end." -- Judith Constantinides, 'The Gingerbread Man'

Insouciant is from the French, from in-, "not" + ...Read more

Q: I'm curious about the origin of "step" in "stepfather," "stepson," et al. -- M.J.D., Baton Rouge, La.

A: Me too. I always assumed that such relatives are so-called because they're one "step" away from being actual fathers, sons, etc., or because they've "stepped" into a family.

In fact, the "step" in "stepfather" stems from a completely ...Read more