cat·kin /ˈkatkən/, noun: 1. a long cluster of small flowers hanging from the branches of trees (particularly deciduous, e.g., hazel, willow or birch) in the spring But suppose the endlessly dead were to wake in us some emblem: they might point to the catkins hanging from the empty hazel trees, or direct us to the rain descending on black earth in early spring. –... Read More

/CHärm/ noun: 1. the ability or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration “To write without clarity and charm is a miserable waste of time and ink.” Cicero 107 BCE – 44 BCE 2. a small ornament worn on a necklace or bracelet to symbolize a person or event “In two decades I’ve lost a total of 789 pounds. I should be hanging from... Read More

/ˈmīnd/ noun: the organized conscious and unconscious of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha verb: to regard as important; pay special attention “Speak your mind and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter,... Read More

/vīˈvāSHəs/, adjective: 1. lively in temper, conduct, or spirit; sprightly “Without books I would not have become a vivacious reader, and if you are not a reader you are not a writer.” Ken Follett, 1949 – “Modesty, is the graceful calm virtue of maturity; bashfulness, the charm of vivacious youth.” Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759 -1797 2. (especially of a woman) attractive for her lively, outgoing... Read More

There/ THer/, adverb: 1. a place or position “Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.” Marcus Aurelius, 120 CE – 180 CE example: When the English mountain climber George Leigh Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, he responded, “Because it’s there.” Their/ Ther/, determiner: 1. belonging... Read More

ech·o /ˈekō/, verb: 1. to produce a repetitive sound; imitate example: The church bells echoed through the quiet town long after the bell hammers had ceased. 2. to fill a place with repetitive sound The stars went out and so did the moon. The singer stopped playing and went to bed While the Weary Blues echoed through his head. Excerpt from The Weary Blues... Read More

ech·o /ˈekō/, noun: 1. a reflection of a sound produced by sound waves bouncing off a surface example: The Hamilton Mausoleum in Scotland holds the record for the longest echo in the world, taking 15 seconds for a sound to diminish. “Music is the harmonious voice of creation; an echo of the invisible world.” Giuseppe Mazzini, 1805 – 1872 2. a repetition of an... Read More

Auger /ˈôɡər/ 1. noun: a device with a helical (having the form of a helix; spiral) shaft or part that is used for boring holes “Horizontal auger boring has come a long way from its start in the coal mining industry in the early 1930s.” Howard L. Hartman, 1924 – Augur /ˈôɡər/ 1. noun: (in ancient Rome) a religious official who could foretell events... Read More

/’skəlp-chər/ 1. noun: the art of making forms, often representative or abstract, especially by molding, carving or casting “Picture and sculpture are the celebrations and festivities of form.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803 – 1882 “Silence is as full of potential wisdom and wit as unhewn marble of great sculpture.” Aldous Huxley, 1894 – 1963 2. verb: to make or represent (a form) by molding,... Read More

/pəng(k)-ti-lē-əs/, adjective: 1. rigid or precise accordance with the details of codes or (social) conventions “The more unpopular an opinion is, the more necessary is it that the holder should be somewhat punctilious in his observance of conventionalities generally, and that, if possible, he should get the reputation of being well-to-do in the world.” Samuel Butler, 1835 – 1902 “If the quickness of the... Read More