Five Phenomenal (Usable) Words 2

Five phenomenal words: email edition. Not those you can use in emails specifically, but those I received in emails today. In a friendly list-style chain email conversation, words one doesn't expect rising high school sophomores to dish out appeared. Kudos (that was one of them, actually) to C, L, and M for contributing unknowingly to today's list. The sentences are the quoted lines that my friends used the words in.

5.  Peruse 
pe·ruse/pəˈro͞oz/

Verb: To read thoroughly or at length

Translation: To browse with care.

Use it in a sentence: .I was perusing a pile of DVDs in the DVD section in the library when a lady came over, whisked the DVDs away, and tersely said, "Go away," to me.

4. Victual

vict·ual  /ˈvitl/

Noun: Food or provisions, typically as prepared for consumption.

Verb: To provide with food.
Translation: FOOD!

Use it in a sentence: ... at awkward times during the day when people are usually eating foodstuffs and random victuals, so...

3. Emulate

em·u·late  /ˈemyəˌlāt/

Verb: to match or surpass in imitation, to imitate

Translation: to copy.

Use it in a sentence: Please tell me you emulated Gollum; that would make me happy to no end.

I personally prefer using plain old "imitate" because emulate reminds me of emus.

2. Recalcitrant

re·cal·ci·trant    /riˈkalsətrənt/

Adjective: having an obstinately uncooperative attitude towards authority
Noun: A person with such an attitude.

Translation: Disobedience

Use it in a sentence: Kyle, in my opinion, microwaves are more recalcitrant than toaster ovens.

1. Whimsicality

whim·si·cal·i·ty    \ˈhwim-zi-kəl, ˈwim-\ <-- for whimsical not whimsicality.

Noun : flightiness, the state of being whimsical

Translation: quirks.

Use it in a sentence: On a scale of Caillou episodes to your dutchie-passing whimsicalities and then onto Lady Gaga music videos, how would you rate the...

I'm not even sure if whimsicality is a real, real word. Princeton says so, but the Merriam Webster dictionary disagrees. I couldn't even find the notation thing for it. Whatever. :)

Five Phenomenal (Usable) Words

Too often do I try to pick up new vocabulary and end up just staring blankly at the page. Words like lollapalooza and aglet, who uses them anyways? But you can still impress the world with a herculean vocabulary without having to search for weird conversations about aglets. Here are five easy ones:

5.  Effervescent

ef·fer·ves·cent   /ˌefərˈvesənt/

Adjective: Giving off bubbles; fizzy; vivacious and enthusiastic

Translation: a hyper person or something in chemistry class that looks like it's going to explode. I prefer the former.

Use it in a sentence: Her effervescent personality was uplifting, but her constant cheery demeanor was occasionally exasperating.

4. Chicanery

chi·can·er·y   /SHiˈkānərē/

Noun: The use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose.

Translation: Being all sneaky-fox. Being a trickster.

Use it in a sentence: The politician used chicanery to gain votes and money.

3. Erudite

er·u·dite    /ˈer(y)əˌdīt/

Adjective : Having or showing great knowledge or learning.

Translation: smarty-pants, not necessarily bad.

Use it in a sentence: My erudite high school biology teacher was one of the best science teachers I'd ever come across.

I honestly had never heard of this word meant until I read Divergent by Veronica Roth. Good book!

2. Flibbertigibbet

flib·ber·ti·gib·bet        /ˈflibərtēˌjibit/

Noun: A frivolous, flighty, or excessively talkative person.

Translation: someone who won't shut up. Ever.

Use it in a sentence: She's a complete flibbertigibbet; she talks too much and acts like she's five years old.

1. Curmudgeon

cur·mudg·eon    /kərˈməjən/

Noun : A bad-tempered or surly person.

Translation: A crusty, mean, old dude.

Use it in a sentence: His English teacher is a fun-killing curmudgeon.  

One of my best friends, Vortexavian, beat me in our eighth grade spelling bee with this word. Now it's a commonplace in both of our vocabularies.

Yay for new vocabulary!!