Daily Word: baffle

baf·fle

(bfl)

tr.v. baf·fled, baf·fling, baf·fles

1. To frustrate or check (a person) as by confusing or perplexing; stymie.

2. To impede the force or movement of.

n.

1. A usually static device that regulates the flow of a fluid or light.

2. A partition that prevents interference between sound waves in a loudspeaker.

Daily Word: transparent

trans·par·ent

–adjective

1. having the property of transmitting rays of light through its substance so that bodies situated beyond or behind can be distinctly seen.

2. admitting the passage of light through interstices.

3. so sheer as to permit light to pass through; diaphanous.

Daily Word: vicarious

vicarious

–adjective

1. 

performed, exercised, received, or suffered in place of another

2. 

taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute.

3. 

felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others: a vicarious thrill.

Daily Word: prosaic

prosaic

–adjective

1.

commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative: a prosaic mind.

2.

of or having the character or form of prose rather than poetry.

—Synonyms
1.  ordinary, everyday; vapid, humdrum, tedious, tiresome, uninteresting.

Daily Word: disparage

disparage

–verb (used with object), -aged, -ag·ing.

1.

to speak of or treat slightingly; depreciate; belittle: Do not disparage good manners.

2. to bring reproach or discredit upon; lower the estimation of

Ex: Your embarrassing behavior will disparage the whole family.

Daily Word: blandishment

blandishment

-noun;

1.Speech or action that flatters and tends to coax, entice, or persuade; allurement — often used in the plural.

Ex.:  But she had not risen at all to the law fellow’s blandishments, his attempts to interest her in his ideas and persuade her to set forth her own.

– John Bayley, Elegy for Iris

Daily Word: pusillanimous

pusillanimous
–adjective

1.

Lacking in courage and resolution; contemptibly fearful; cowardly.

: Under the hypnosis of war hysteria, with a pusillanimous Congress rubber-stamping every whim of the White House, we passed the withholding tax

 

Daily Word: unorthodox

unorthodox
–adjective
contrary to what is usual, traditional, or accepted; not orthodox : he frequently upset other scholars with his unorthodox views.

SYNONYMS: unconventional, unusual, radical, nonconformist, avant-garde

Daily Word: travesty

travesty
–noun
a false, absurd, or distorted represented of something : the absurdly lenient sentence is a travesty of injustice.

–verb
represent in such a way : Michael has betrayed the family by travestying them in his plays.

SYNONYMS
–noun
a travesty of justice: perversion of, distortion of, corruption of, misrepresentation of, poor imitation of

Daily Word: contingent

contingent
–adjective
1. subject to chance : the contingent nature of the job.

• (of losses, liabilities, etc.) that can be anticipated to arise if a particular event occurs : businesses need to be aware of their liabilities, both actual and contingent.
• (Philosophy) true by virtue of the way things in fact are and not by logical necessity : that men are living creatures is a contingent fact.

2. (contingent on/upon) occurring or existing only if (certain other circumstances) are the case; dependent on : resolution of the conflict was contingent on the signing of a cease-fire agreement.

–noun
a group of people united by some common feature, forming part of a larger group : a contingent of Japanese business attending a conference

• a body of troops or police sent to join a larger force in an operation : a contingent of 2,000 marines.

SYNONYMS
–adjective
the merger is contingent on government approval: dependent on, conditional on, subject to, determined by
contingent events: chance, accidental, fortuitous, possible, unforeseeable
–noun
a contingent of Japanese businessmen: group, party body, band, company
a contingent of soldiers: detachment, unit, group

Daily Word: impasse

impasse
–noun
a situation in which no progress is possible, esp. because of disagreement; a deadlock : the current political impasse.

SYNONYMS: deadlock, dead end, stalemate, standoff

Daily Word: restitution

restitution
–noun
1. the restoration of something lost or stolen to its proper owner : seeking the restitution of land taken from blacks under apartheid.
2. recompense for injury or loss : he was ordered to pay $6000 in restitution.
3. the restoration of something to its original state : restitution of the damaged mucosa

SYNONYMS
restitution of the land seized: return, restoration, handing back, surrender
restitution for the damage caused: compensation, recompense, reparation, damages

Daily Word: manifest

manifest
–adjective
clear or obvious to the eye or mind : the systems’s manifest failings.

–verb [trans.]
display or show (a quality or feeling) by one’s acts or appearance; demonstrate : Ray manifested signs of severe depression.

• (often be manifested in) be evidence of; prove : bad industrial relations are often manifested in disputes and strikes.
• [instrans.] (of an ailment) become apparent through the appearance of symptoms : a disorder that usually manifests in middle age.
• [intrans.] (of a ghost or spirit) appear : one deity manifested in the form of a bird.

SYNONYMS: (verb) display, show, exhibit, demonstrate; (adjective) obvious, clear, plain

Daily Word: derive

derive
–verb
obtain something from (a specified source) : They derived great comfort from this assurance.

• (derive something from) base a concept on logical extension or modification of (another concept) : Marx derived his philosophy of history from Hegel.
• [instrans.] (derive from) (of a word) have (a specified word, usually of another language) as a root or origin: The word “punch” derives from the Hindustani “pancha”.
• (be derived from) (of a substance) be formed or prepared by (a chemical or physical process affecting another substance) : Strong acids are derived from the combustion of fossil fuels.

SYNONYMS: obtain, get, take gain; originate in, stem from, descend from

Daily Word: eclectic

eclectic

–adjective

deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources: Her music tastes are eclectic.

SYNONYMS: wide-ranging, broad-based, extensive, comprehensive

Daily Word: vestige

vestige
–noun
a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists: The last vestiges of colonialism.

SYNONYMS: remnant, fragment, relic, echo, indication, sign, trace, residue

Daily Word: prod

prod
–verb
1. Poke (someone) with a finger, foot, or pointed object:  He prodded her in the ribs to stop her snoring.
2. Stimulate or persuade (someone who is reluctant or slow) to do something : He has been trying to prod the White House into launching an antipoverty program.

SYNONYMS: poke, jab dig, elbow, butt, stab; spur, stimulate, stir, rouse, prompt

Daily Word: augment

augment
–verb
make (something) greater by adding to it; increase

Ex) He augmented his summer income by painting houses.

Daily Word: objectional

objectional
–adjective
1. Of the nature of, or involving, objection.
2. Open to objection, objectionable.

SYNONYMS: deplorable, disagreeable, unacceptable

Daily Word: rhetoric

rhetoric
–noun
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, esp. the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques

• language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but is often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content

Ex) All we have from the opposition is empty rhetoric.