Wednesday, March 28, 2007

internecine

in·ter·ne·cine [in-ter-nee-seen, -sahyn, -nes-een, -nes-ahyn]
–adjective
1.of or pertaining to conflict or struggle within a group: an internecine feud among proxy holders.
2.mutually destructive.
3.characterized by great slaughter; deadly.

from dictionary.com

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

dystopia

dys·to·pi·a [dis-toh-pee-uh]
–noun a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

from dictionary.com

Monday, March 26, 2007

pulchritude

pul·chri·tude [puhl-kri-tood, -tyood]
–noun physical beauty; comeliness.

from dictionary.com

Monday, March 19, 2007

maladroitly

mal·a·droit [mal-uh-droit]
–adjective lacking in adroitness; unskillful; awkward; bungling; tactless: to handle a diplomatic crisis in a very maladroit way.

from dictionary.com

Friday, March 16, 2007

suzerain

su·ze·rain [soo-zuh-rin, -reyn]
–noun
1.a sovereign or a state exercising political control over a dependent state.
2.History/Historical. a feudal overlord.
–adjective
3.characteristic of or being a suzerain.

from dictionary.com

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

penumbra

pe·num·bra [pi-nuhm-bruh]
1.Astronomy.
a.the partial or imperfect shadow outside the complete shadow of an opaque body, as a planet, where the light from the source of illumination is only partly cut off. Compare umbra (def. 3a).
b.the grayish marginal portion of a sunspot. Compare umbra (def. 3b).
2.a shadowy, indefinite, or marginal area.

from dictionary.com

Thursday, March 8, 2007

encomium

en·co·mi·um [en-koh-mee-uhm]
a formal expression of high praise; eulogy: An encomium by the President greeted the returning hero.

from dictionary.com

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

denouement

de·noue·ment [dey-noo-mahn]
–noun
1.the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.
2.the place in the plot at which this occurs.
3.the outcome or resolution of a doubtful series of occurrences.

from dictionary.com

Monday, March 5, 2007

intromit

in·tro·mit [in-truh-mit]
–verb (used with object), -mit·ted, -mit·ting.
to send, put, or let in; introduce; admit.

from dictionary.com

Friday, March 2, 2007

alacrity

a·lac·ri·ty [uh-lak-ri-tee]
–noun
1.cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness: We accepted the invitation with alacrity.
2.liveliness; briskness.

from dictionary.comPublish