Word of the Day Archive/February 2004
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surreptitious:
done, made, or gotten by stealth; also, marked by stealth.
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quixotic:
foolishly impractical; also, capricious, impulsive.
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languor:
lack of energy or vitality.
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censure:
to criticize severely; also, an expression of disapproval.
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hector:
to bully or harass.
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miasma:
a thick vaporous atmosphere, often noxious.
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rapport:
relation characterized by sympathetic understanding.
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forcible:
effected by force used against resistance; also, powerful.
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bombinate:
to buzz, hum, or drone.
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insuperable:
incapable of being passed over, surmounted, or overcome.
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latitudinarian:
having or expressing broad and tolerant views.
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buss:
a kiss; to kiss.
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discrete:
constituting a separate thing; also, consisting of distinct or
unconnected parts.
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plaintive:
expressive of sorrow or melancholy.
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tractable:
docile; manageable, governable.
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quietus:
final acquittance, as from debt; also, rest; death.
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inscrutable:
difficult to fathom or understand.
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avatar:
an incarnation.
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expiate:
to make amends for; to atone for.
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gauche:
lacking social polish; tactless.
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lambaste:
to scold sharply; also, to beat.
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flibbertigibbet:
a silly, flighty, or excessively talkative person.
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malapropism:
the usually unintentionally humorous misuse of a word, especially by
confusion with one of similar sound; also, an example of such misuse.
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raffish:
tawdry; also, rakish.
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vet:
to subject to thorough appraisal; to evaluate.
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pleonasm:
the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea.