Vertical Vocabulary Thread

[AYHJA]

Abstemious

Pronunciation: \ab-STEE-mee-uhs\

Function: Adjective

1. Sparing in eating and drinking; temperate; abstinent.
2. Sparingly used or consumed; used with temperance or moderation.
3. Marked by or spent in abstinence.

Etymology: Abstemious comes from Latin abstemius, from ab-, abs-, "away from" + the root of temetum, "intoxicating drink."

[AYHJA]

Prescience

Pronunciation: \PREE-shuns; PREE-shee-uns; PRESH-uns; PRESH-ee-uns; PREE-see-uns; PRES-ee-uns\

Function: noun [prescient; adj]

1. Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight.

Etymology: Prescience is from Latin praescientia, from praescio, praescire, to know beforehand, from prae, before + scio, scire, to know.

[AYHJA]

Apogee

Pronunciation: \AP-uh-jee\

Function: Noun

1. The point in the orbit of the moon or of an artificial satellite that is at the greatest distance from the center of the earth.
2. The farthest or highest point; culmination.

Etymology: Apogee is derived from Greek apogaion, from apogaios, "situated (far) away from the earth," from apo-, "away from" + gaia, "earth."

[perthesb]

OSTIOTOMY

human bone cuuting in surgery

[Dietrich]

Um, not to be picky, but...

Osteotomy

Pronunciation: ŏs-tē-ŏt'ō-mē

Function: The operation of cutting through a bone.

Etymology: Greek, osteon, "bone" + tome "incision".

I do medical transcription for a living, so it's my job to know myriad (literally) medical terms and what they mean.

Also, I love words and language in general. And I'm a little OCD. ^_^

[hotheat]

Nebbish (plural nebbishes)

Function: Noun

1. One who is fearful and timid, especially in making decisions and plans, in discussions, debates, arguments, and confrontations, and in taking responsibility.

2. (slang, mildly pejorative, US, chiefly New York) A loser.

Etymology: Yiddish נעבעך (nebekh).

[hotheat]

At·ra·bil·ious

Pronunciation: \ˌa-trə-ˈbil-yəs\

Function: adjective

1 : given to or marked by melancholy : gloomy
2 : ill-natured, peevish

Etymology: Latin atra bilis black bile

Date: 1651

[hotheat]

Redolent

Pronunciation:

• (RP) IPA: /ˈrɛd.əl.ənt/, /ˈrɛd.əʊ.lənt/, /"rEd.@l.@nt/, /"[email protected]@nt/
  (US) IPA: /ˈrɛd.əl.ənt/, /"rEd.@l.@nt/

Function: Adjective

1. fragrant or aromatic; having a sweet scent
2. having the smell of
3. (idiomatic) suggestive or reminiscent

Etymology: First attested in 1400. From French redolent < Latin redolentem, present participle of redoleō (“‘I emit a scent’”) < re- + oleō (“‘I smell’”).

[hotheat]

Vicissitude

Pronunciation: (US) IPA: /vɪˈsɪsɪˌtud/, /vI"sIsI%tud/

Function: Noun

1. Regular change or succession from one thing to another, or one part of a cycle to the next; alternation; mutual succession; interchange.
2. (often plural) a change, especially in one's life or fortunes.

Etymology: From Latin vicissitudo (“‘change’”) < vicissim (“‘on the other hand, in turn’”) < vicis (“‘change, vicissitude’”), whence Spanish vez and French fois (“‘time as in next time’”).

[hotheat]

Nosocomial

Pronunciation: \ˌnä-sə-ˈkō-mē-əl\

Function: Adjective

1. acquired or occurring in a hospital

Etymology: Late Latin nosocomium hospital, from Late Greek nosokomeion, from Greek nosokomos one who tends the sick, from nosos disease + -komos; akin to Greek kamnein to suffer, toil, Sanskrit śāmyati he tires

Date: circa 1843