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

acquiesce \ak-wee-ES\ (intransitive verb) - To accept or consent passively or without objection -- usually used with 'in' or 'to'.

"At the same time, sellers might acquiesce to mafia involvement in their business as a way of ensuring payment for goods: if the buyer defaults, the mafioso will collect." -- Louis S. Warren, 'The Hunter's Game'

...Read more

Brobdingnagian \brob-ding-NAG-ee-uhn\ (adjective) - Of extraordinary size; gigantic; enormous.

"Some men set out to climb Mount Everest. Ammon Shea set out to read the Oxford English Dictionary full time, from cover to cover. Or rather covers to covers, his recent job as a furniture mover providing handy preparation for hoisting its 20 hefty ...Read more

languor \LANG-guhr; LANG-uhr\ (noun) - 1 : Mental or physical weariness or fatigue. 2 : Listless indolence, especially the indolence of one who is satiated by a life of luxury or pleasure. 3 : A heaviness or oppressive stillness of the air.

"Charles's court exuded a congenial hedonism. It was exuberant and intemperate, given to both languor ...Read more

juxtaposition \juhk-stuh-puh-ZISH-uhn\ (noun) - The act or an instance of placing in nearness or side by side.

"One of the things that made the diary so poignant . . . is the awful juxtaposition of the ordinary and the horrific, the mundane and the unimaginable." -- Michiko Kakutani, 'When a Spirited Teen-Ager Faced the Unimaginable'

...Read more

ephemeron \ih-FEM-uh-ron\ (noun) plural ephemera \ih-FEM-uh-ruh\ - 1 : Something short-lived or of no lasting significance. 2 : ephemera: Items, especially printed matter (as posters, broadsides, pamphlets, etc.), intended to be of use or importance for only a short time but preserved by collectors.

"It is one of the most collectable of all ...Read more

clemency \KLEM-uhn-see\ (noun) - 1 : Disposition to forgive and spare, as offenders; mercy. 2 : An act or instance of mercy or leniency. 3 : Mildness, especially of weather.

"He put in a strong plea for clemency, begging the king to spare the alchemist's life." -- Janet Gleeson, 'The Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story'

Clemency comes from ...Read more

aficionado \uh-fish-ee-uh-NAH-doh\ (noun) - An enthusiastic admirer; a fan.

"An aficionado of Chinese food, Diffie was also known for carrying around a pair of elegant chopsticks, much the way a serious billiard player totes his favorite cue." -- Steven Levy, 'Crypto'

Aficionado derives from Spanish aficionar, "to induce a liking for," from ...Read more

explicate \EK-spluh-kayt\ (transitive verb) - To explain; to clear of difficulties or obscurity.

"I can cite a case -- my own -- of a young person's being altered politically by a novel, but I cannot explicate the process, let alone explain it in terms of the author's intention or literary strategies." -- Mary McCarthy, 'The Lasting Power of ...Read more

sough \SAU; SUHF\ (verb) - To make a soft, low sighing or rustling sound, as the wind.

(noun) - A soft, low rustling or sighing sound.

"This voice she hears in the fields, in the sough of the wind among the trees, when measured and distant sounds fall upon her ears." -- Ernest Renan, 'The Poetry of the Celtic Races'

Sough comes from Middle ...Read more

avuncular \uh-VUHNG-kyuh-luhr\ (adjective) - 1 : Of or pertaining to an uncle. 2 : Resembling an uncle, especially in kindness or indulgence.

"Both uncle Frank and uncle Stephen Austen had made it a point of principle to be rigorously unsentimental in the discharge of their avuncular obligations." -- David Nokes, 'Jane Austen: A Life'

...Read more

requisite \REK-wuh-zit\ (adjective) - Required by the nature of things or by circumstances; indispensable.

(noun) - That which is required or necessary; something indispensable.

"Those with the requisite talents made drawings and watercolors of the birds, the flowers, the untouched landscapes that unfolded before them." -- Barbara Crossette, ...Read more

habitue \huh-BICH-oo-ay; huh-bich-oo-AY\ (noun) - One who habitually frequents a place.

"In the public house kept by Jesper Darkes, 'zealous partizans in the cause of Liberty,' as one habitue called them, met day and night, laying plans, discussing whether this man or that could be trusted or whether he was spying for the government, ...Read more

concatenation \kon-kat-uh-NAY-shuhn; kuhn-\ (noun) - A series of links united; a series or order of things depending on each other, as if linked together; a chain, a succession.

"The process of fossilization and discovery is a concatenation of chance built upon chance. It's amazing that anything ever becomes a fossil at all." -- Henry Gee, 'In ...Read more

agog \uh-GOG\ (adjective) - Full of excitement or interest; in eager desire; eager, keen.

"He was now so interested, quite so privately agog, about it, that he had already an eye to the fun it would be to open up to her afterwards." -- Henry James, 'The Ambassadors'

Agog derives from Middle French en gogues, "in mirth; lively."

When I was 8 years old, my parents told me that they'd purchased tickets in the orchestra for a Broadway musical. I suddenly pictured Mom and Dad sitting elbow to elbow with violinists, trumpeters and clarinetists.

What I didn't know was that "orchestra" can refer not only to the musical ensemble in front of the stage but also to the entire ...Read more