PELAGIC (pe·lag·ic \pə-ˈla-jik\), adjective.
DEFINITION: relating to the sea; oceanic.
EXAMPLE: The marine biologist made a career of studying pelagic life.
Nostrum
NOSTRUM (nos·trum \ˈnäs-trəm\), noun.
DEFINITION: a questionable remedy.
EXAMPLE: Although Quantitative Easing was seen as a panacea for the world’s financial woes, several countries are now questioning the nostrum’s effectiveness.
Weal
WEAL (weal \ˈwēl\), noun.
DEFINITION: a state of well-being.
EXAMPLE: The candidate’s speech highlighted his devotion to the public weal, and outlined his strategy for creating a better country.
Sanctum
SANCTUM (sanc·tum \ˈsaŋ(k)-təm\), noun.
DEFINITION: a sacred place.
EXAMPLE: The monk retreated to the inner sanctum of the monastery to study in silence.
Anodyne
ANODYNE (an·o·dyne \ˈa-nə-dīn\), adjective.
DEFINITION: innocuous, inoffensive.
EXAMPLE: After getting booed off stage for his politically and racially charged jokes, the comedian decided to stick to more anodyne material.
Hallowed
HALLOWED (hal·lowed \ˈha-lōd\), adjective. DEFINITION: holy, sacred. EXAMPLE: Elvis Presley’s residence, Graceland, is considered hallowed ground by millions of his fans around the world.
Frustraneous
FRUSTRANEOUS (frus·tra·ne·ous \fruhs-‘tray-nee-uhs\), adjective.
DEFINITION: useless, unprofitable.
EXAMPLE: Billy gave up on his frustraneous dreams of being an artist and interviewed for a stable corporate job.
Wonted
WONTED (wont·ed \ˈwȯn-təd\), adjective.
DEFINITION: usual, habitual.
EXAMPLE: The doctor approached the case with his wonted compassion and thoroughness, instilling confidence in his patient.
Scapegrace
SCAPEGRACE (scape·grace \ˈskāp-ˌgrās\), noun.
DEFINITION: a reckless, unprincipled rascal.
EXAMPLE: That scapegrace stole from his mother, maxed out his father’s credit cards and refused to get a job to pay them back.
Moil
MOIL (moil \ˈmȯi(-ə)l\), verb.
DEFINITION: to work hard, toil.
EXAMPLE: The miners moiled in harsh, dangerous conditions nearly a mile underground.
Dragoman
DRAGOMAN (drag·o·man \ˈdra-gə-mən\), noun.
DEFINITION: an interpreter.
EXAMPLE: When meeting with foreign leaders, the president always insisted on having an experienced dragoman present to interpret the subtleties of the conversation.
Chivy
CHIVY (chivy \ˈchi-vē\), verb.
DEFINITION: to annoy with persistent petty attacks.
EXAMPLE: The boss had a reputation for chivying his employees about every little minor mistake.
Chouse
CHOUSE (chouse \ˈchau̇s\), verb.
DEFINITION: to cheat or trick.
EXAMPLE: The con man choused little old ladies out of their life savings and never felt a shred of remorse.
Fusty
FUSTY (fus·ty \ˈfəs-tē\), adjective.
DEFINITION: musty, moldy.
EXAMPLE: The chest in grandpa’s attic wasn’t filled with gold or treasures as we had hoped – just fusty old clothes.
Pell-mell
PELL-MELL (pell–mell \ˌpel-ˈmel\), adverb.
DEFINITION: in a confused and hurried way.
EXAMPLE: The cook was so flustered by his VIP guest that he began prepping, seasoning, cooking and plating pell-mell.
Phobophobia
PHOBOPHOBIA (pho·bo·pho·bia \ˌfō-bə-ˈfō-bē-ə\), noun.
DEFINITION: fear of acquiring a phobia.
EXAMPLE: Sally was so afraid of acquiring a phobia she ended up with an acute case of phobophobia.
Brummagem
BRUMMAGEM (brum·ma·gem \ˈbrə-mi-jəm\), adjective.
DEFINITION: cheap, showy.
EXAMPLE: The old couple’s trailer was surrounded by broken lawn furniture and filled with brummagem trinkets.
Maunder
MAUNDER (maun·der \ˈmȯn-dər\), verb.
DEFINITION: to speak indistinctly, verbally wander.
EXAMPLE: She left a long voicemail message, maundering for several minutes without getting to the point.
Girn
GIRN (girn \ˈgirn\), verb.
DEFINITION: to snarl.
EXAMPLE: The grizzled hound girned as I approached, warning me to stay away until he had finished his meal.
Esculent
ESCULENT (es·cu·lent \ˈes-kyə-lənt\), adjective.
DEFINITION: edible.
EXAMPLE: Even experienced foragers have trouble distinguishing esculent mushrooms from poisonous ones.