LAMPOON (lam·poon \lam-ˈpün\), verb.
DEFINITION: to make the subject of ridicule.
EXAMPLE: The artist lampooned the mayor’s fondness for alcohol in a biting political cartoon.
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
HIPPOPOTOMONSTROSESQUIPEDALIOPHOBIA (/hi-pe-po-tə-‘mon-strə-se-skwi-pi-dei-liə-fo-bia/), noun.
DEFINITION: fear of long words.
EXAMPLE: His hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia prevented him from using words like hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia.
Tantara
TANTARA (tan·ta·ra \tan-ˈta-rə\), noun.
DEFINITION: the blare of a trumpet or horn.
EXAMPLE: A majestic tantara from the royal buglers announced the arrival of the king.
Smarmy
SMARMY (smar·my \ˈsmär-mē\), adjective.
DEFINITION: feigning politeness.
EXAMPLE: While the salesman’s shtick made old ladies swoon, he mostly came off as unctuous and smarmy.
Ascesis
ASCESIS (as·ce·sis \ə-ˈsē-səs\), noun.
DEFINITION: self discipline.
EXAMPLE: He limited himself to three cigarettes a day as a form of ascesis.
Nimrod
NIMROD (Nim·rod \ˈnim-ˌräd\), noun.
DEFINITION: a stupid person.
EXAMPLE: “This used to be a great place to work, but a few strategically positioned nimrods ruined it very quickly,” she sighed.
Moxie
MOXIE (mox·ie \ˈmäk-sē\), noun.
DEFINITION: energy, determination.
EXAMPLE: Although she came from modest roots, her ambition and moxie took her to the very top of the corporate ladder.
Peripeteia
PERIPETEIA (peri·pe·teia \ˌper-ə-pə-ˈtē-ə\), noun.
DEFINITION: a sudden change of fortune.
EXAMPLE: Staring at the lottery ticket in his grimy hand, the hobo suddenly realized the magnitude of his peripeteia.
Palinode
PALINODE (pal·in·ode \ˈpa-lə-ˌnōd\), noun.
DEFINITION: a formal retraction.
EXAMPLE: The journalist was forced to print an apologetic palinode after he was found to have fabricated certain claims in his story.
Succumb
SUCCUMB (suc·cumb \sə-ˈkəm\), verb.
DEFINITION: to yield.
EXAMPLE: The mountaineer braved several days in the blizzard before succumbing to hypothermia.
Inimical
INIMICAL (in·im·i·cal \i-ˈni-mi-kəl\), adjective.
DEFINITION: harmful, unfriendly.
EXAMPLE: His friendly demeanor masked his sinister, inimical motives.
Retronym
RETRONYM (ret·ro·nym \ˈre-trō-ˌnim\), noun.
DEFINITION: a term that differentiates an older version of something.
EXAMPLE: The widespread use of email spawned the retronym “snail mail.”
Litterateur
LITTERATEUR (lit·ter·a·teur \ˌli-tə-rə-ˈtər\), noun.
DEFINITION: a professional writer.
EXAMPLE: No culture is complete without a collection of beloved artists and litterateurs.
Evitable
EVITABLE (ev·i·ta·ble \ˈe-və-tə-bəl\), adjective.
DEFINITION: avoidable.
EXAMPLE: The accident would have been evitable if the two drivers weren’t busy staring at their phones.
Gratuitous
GRATUITOUS (gra·tu·itous \grə-ˈtü-ə-təs\), adjective.
DEFINITION: unnecessary, unwarranted.
EXAMPLE: The film was slated for its gratuitous and excessive violence, seemingly out of place in a gentle tale about fluffy puppies.
Shrive
SHRIVE (shrive \ˈshrīv\), verb.
DEFINITION: to free from guilt.
EXAMPLE: William went to confessional to be shriven of his sins by the parish priest.
Clerisy
CLERISY (cler·i·sy \ˈkler-ə-sē\), noun.
DEFINITION: intellectual elite.
EXAMPLE: The statesman believed successful societies required dedication to democracy and a well-established clerisy.
Copse
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