Crescendo cre-scen-do /krəˈSHendō/ Noun/Verb   Noun a musical direction used to indicate increasing loudness “As in music, when we hear the crescendo building, suddenly if the music stops, we begin to hear the silence as part of the music.” Chogyam Trungpa (1939-1987) Verb to gradually increase in loudness  “The chant crescendoed, voices layering until they became a single, thunderous will.” Susanne Collins (1962-)

Doldrums dol-drums /ˈdōldrəmz,ˈdäldrəmz/ Noun listlessness, feeling the blues, an inactive period “Like JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy), Calvin Coolidge divined that a new technology could lift the nation out of its doldrums; the only difference was that JFk’s new technology was space travel, and Calvin Coolidge’s travel by airplane.” Amity Shlaes, (1960-)

Excess ex-cess /ekˈses,ikˈses/ Adjective  extra, more than enough, more than expected “Never go to excess but let moderation be your guide.” Marcus Tullius Cicero, (106 BC-43 BC)

Zenith ze-nith /ˈzēnəTH/ Noun the point directly overhead in the sky, the summit “Each man is always in the middle of the surface of the earth and under the zenith of his own hemisphere, and over the center of the earth.“ Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)

Regimen reg-i-men / ˈredʒ.ə.mən / Noun a systematic plan, usually to improve health “The mind, too, has its regimen; it needs gymnastics, just like the body does.” Honore de Balzac (1799-1850)

Novice nov-ice /ˈnävəs/ Noun a beginner “Man reaches each stage of his life as a novice.” Nicholas Chamfort (1741-1794)

Belfry bel-fry / ˈbɛl fri / Noun a tower where bells hang above a building “The transept belfry and the two towers were to him three great cages, the birds in which, taught by him, would sing for him alone.” Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

Kinship kin-ship /ˈkinˌSHip/  Noun a relationship or connection between family members “Acceptance is the truest kinship with humanity.” Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

Custom cus-tom /ˈkəstəm/ Noun something that has been done by a group of people for a long time, a tradition passed on from one generation to the next “Customs will often outlive the remembrance of their origin.” Thomas Paine (1737-1801)

Esprit de Corps es-prit de corps /əˌsprē də ˈkôr,eˌsprē də ˈkôr/ Noun team spirit “Individual ambition is undoubtedly a strong motive in student work, but there is such a thing among students everywhere as ambition for others, call it class spirit, esprit de corps, good fellowship, or good will to men.” Herbert Baxter Adams (1850-1901)