COPSE (copse \ˈkäps\), noun.
DEFINITION: a small thicket of trees.
EXAMPLE: Sniffing the scent of the approaching farmer, the fox ran from the henhouse and hid amongst the trees in a nearby copse.
Hagiarchy
HAGIARCHY (ha-gi-ar-chy \’hay-jee-ar-kee\), noun.
DEFINITION: a government ruled by holy persons.
EXAMPLE: The Vatican is one of the best-known hagiarchies in the modern world, ruled by the Pope.
Virtuoso
VIRTUOSO (virtuoso \ver-choo-OH-soh\), noun.
DEFINITION: a highly skilled musician.
EXAMPLE: The virtuoso stirred the audiences’ emotions as skillfully as he played his violin
Claque
CLAQUE (claque \ˈklak\), noun.
DEFINITION: a group hired to applaud at a performance.
EXAMPLE: It restored my faith in humanity to learn that most of Justin Bieber’s fans were paid claques.
Caitiff
CAITIFF (cai·tiff \ˈkā-təf\), adjective.
DEFINITION: cowardly, despicable.
EXAMPLE: The assassin stealthily crept up behind his target, plunged a dagger into the senator’s back, and then wiped the blood from his caitiff hands.
Peremptory
PEREMPTORY (pe·remp·to·ry \pə-ˈrem(p)-t(ə-)rē\), adjective.
DEFINITION: precluding action or debate.
EXAMPLE: The new manager’s peremptory refusal to take suggestions from long-serving staff did not bode well for the future of the company.
Calumny
CALUMNY (cal·um·ny \ˈka-ləm-nē\), noun.
DEFINITION: lies intended to harm another’s reputation.
EXAMPLE: “The newspaper articles about the mayor’s extramarital affairs are pure calumny,” said his beleaguered press manager.
Oneiric
ONEIRIC (onei·ric \ō-ˈnī-rik\), adjective.
DEFINITION: related to dreams.
EXAMPLE: The composer’s works had an oneiric quality that many fans likened to lucid dreaming.
Nabob
NABOB (na·bob \ˈnā-bäb\), noun.
DEFINITION: a rich or important person.
EXAMPLE: As his wealth and influence grew, the property tycoon made a name for himself as one of Asia’s most powerful nabobs.
Rathskellar
RATHSKELLAR (raths·kel·ler \ˈrät-ˌske-lər\), noun.
DEFINITION: a basement tavern or restaurant.
EXAMPLE: Tucked in a corner of the hotel lobby was a staircase that led down to a cozy rathskellar which served food and drinks 24 hours a day.
Crabwise
CRABWISE (crab·wise \krab-wīz\), adverb.
DEFINITION: sideways; indirectly.
EXAMPLE: Not wishing to anger the king, his counsellor approached the subject in a crabwise manner – testing the waters cautiously before diving in.
Shenanigan
SHENANIGAN (she·nan·i·gan \shə-ˈna-ni-gən\), noun.
DEFINITION: mischievous tricks.
EXAMPLE: After discovering someone had filled the sugar bowl with salt, I realized my little brother was up to his old shenanigans again.
Pelagic
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.