sesquipedalian \ses-kwuh-puh-DAYL-yuhn\ (adjective) - 1 : Given to or characterized by the use of long words. 2 : Long and ponderous; having many syllables.

(noun) - A long word.

"Because my father was a professor, I early picked up a sesquipedalian way of speaking." -- Damon Knight, 'A Science Fiction Argosy'

Sesquipedalian comes from Latin ...Read more

capricious \kuh-PRISH-us; -PREE-shus\ (adjective) - Apt to change suddenly; whimsical; changeable.

"Perhaps the ancients were right, and we mortals are merely playthings of a capricious fate." -- Tom Harper, ' Knights of the Cross'

Capricious comes, via French, from Italian capriccio, a shivering, a shudder, finally (influenced by Italian ...Read more

epigone \EP-uh-gohn\ (noun) - An inferior imitator, especially of some distinguished writer, artist, musician, or philosopher.

"He was a conscious epigone, even in the l9th century preferring the powdered wig and ruffles of an earlier age." -- Andre Norton, 'Leopard in Exile'

Epigone derives from Greek epigonos, from epigignesthai, to be born ...Read more

ineffable \in-EF-uh-buhl\ (adjective) - 1 : Incapable of being expressed in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable. 2 : Not to be uttered; taboo.

"In the light of the pyre, I saw in her face an ineffable sadness, even a longing, as she gazed down at the burial party tending to the dead mothers..." -- Michael Curtis Ford, 'The Ten ...Read more

flippant \FLIP-uhnt\ (adjective) - Lacking proper seriousness or respect; showing inappropriate levity; pert.

"Betty made some flippant rejoinder, but as she watched him, she was not gay." -- Humphry Ward, 'Sir George Tressady'

Flippant probably comes from flip. The noun form is flippancy.

consanguineous \kon-san(g)-GWIN-ee-us\ (adjective) - Of the same blood; related by birth; descended from the same parent or ancestor.

"...Descent in the royal house to which she belongs had always been confused by substitutions and adoptions; the effects of consanguineous marriage having been fortunately mitigated by impotence on the part of ...Read more

spoony \SPOO-nee\ (adjective) - 1 : Foolish; silly; excessively sentimental. 2 : Foolishly or sentimentally in love.

"There is no doubt whatever that I was a lackadaisical young spoony; but there was a purity of heart in all this, that prevents my having quite a contemptuous recollection of it, let me laugh as I may." -- Charles Dickens, 'David...Read more

ephemeron \ih-FEM-uh-ron\ (noun) plural ephemera \ih-FEM-uh-ruh\ - 1 : Something short-lived or of no lasting significance. 2 : ephemera: Items, especially printed matter (as posters, broadsides, pamphlets, etc.), intended to be of use or importance for only a short time but preserved by collectors.

"She had seen that the finger of Death was ...Read more

desultory \DES-uhl-tor-ee\ (adjective) - 1 : Jumping or passing from one thing or subject to another without order or rational connection; disconnected; aimless. 2 : By the way; as a digression; not connected with the subject. 3 : Coming disconnectedly or occurring haphazardly; random. 4 : Disappointing in performance or progress.

"He felt as ...Read more

provender \PROV-uhn-duhr\ (noun) - 1 : Dry food for domestic animals, such as hay, straw, corn, oats, or a mixture of ground grain; feed. 2 : Food or provisions.

"It may be long ere we find any other provender now that we are leaving the auspices of the Tree Dwellers." -- Cecelia Dart-Thornton, 'The Battle of Evernight'

Provender comes from ...Read more

inhere \in-HIR\ (intransitive verb) - To be inherent; to belong, as attributes or qualities.

"The foundations of the palace, like those of the prison, inhere in the fine quality of the stone, in marble stairways, in real gold, in carvings, the rarest in the realm, the absolute power of their hosts." -- Jean Genet, 'The Thief's Journal'

Inhere ...Read more

parvenu \PAR-vuh-noo; -nyoo\ (noun) - 1 : One that has recently or suddenly risen to a higher social or economic class but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class; an upstart.

(adjective) - 1 : Being a parvenu; also, like or having the characteristics of a parvenu.

"That was the luxury that Goirot's daughter had loved too well...Read more

esurient \ih-SUR-ee-uhnt; -ZUR-\ (adjective) - Hungry; voracious; greedy.

"Paul, whose stomach suffered no pangs, regarded the fellow with esurient eyes, the eyes of an avid curiosity." -- Carl Van Vechten, 'Firecrackers'

Esurient comes from the present participle of Latin esurire, "to be hungry, to desire eagerly," from edere, "to eat."

tutelage \TOO-tuhl-ij; TYOO-\ (noun) - 1 : The act of guarding or protecting; guardianship; protection. 2 : The state of being under a guardian or tutor. 3 : Instruction, especially individual instruction accompanied by close attention and guidance.

"Thomas began his formal instruction by his father at the age of twelve and was released from ...Read more

exegete \EK-suh-jeet\ (noun) - A person who explains or interprets difficult parts of written works.

"Haunted by the mystery of my patron saint, I stumbled for a long time over an enigma which no exegete has yet cleared up." -- Michel Tournier, 'Gemini'

Exegete is from Greek exegetes, from the verb exegeisthai, "to interpret," and is related ...Read more

pugnacious \puhg-NAY-shuhs\ (adjective) - Inclined to fight; combative; quarrelsome.

"After tolerating Patrick's pugnacious daughter, Kane would be ready to swear off women for the rest of his life." -- Carol Finch, 'Moonlight Enchantress'

Pugnacious comes from Latin pugnare, "to fight," from pugnus, "fist."

plenary \PLEE-nuh-ree; PLEN-uh-ree\ (adjective) - 1 : Full in all respects; complete; absolute; as, plenary authority. 2 : Fully attended by all qualified members.

"The first plenary session held at the conference was organized to define its theme. Two important papers presented at this plenary helped set its tone." -- Lalithambika Antherjanam...Read more

expropriate \ek-SPROH-pree-ayt\ (transitive verb) - 1 : To deprive of possession. 2 : To transfer (the property of another) to oneself.

"You never know when some tinhorn general's going to expropriate your property as national patrimony." -- Douglas Preston, 'The Codex'

Expropriate comes from Medieval Latin expropriatus, past participle of ...Read more

nuptial \NUHP-shuhl; -chuhl\ (adjective) - 1 : Of or pertaining to marriage; done or used at a wedding; as, "nuptial rites and ceremonies." 2 : Of, pertaining to, or occurring in the mating season.

(noun) - Marriage; wedding; nuptial ceremony; -- usually used in the plural.

"...On the one day of their triumph when, like Kitty, they had stood ...Read more

Q. I'm always puzzled about which verb to use following a phrase starting with "if" or "as if." In one instance, I read, "If I were 90 years old ...", and in the next, "If I was doing that ..." Which should it be? -- Jim Bilbrey, Pierre, South Dakota

A. That's an iffy question! When we're talking about situations that are highly improbable or...Read more