succinct suc-cinct / sək-sĭngkt, sə-sĭngkt   adjective 1. concise and clear, terse, brief and to the point A tale should be judicious, clear, succinct; The language plain, and incidents well link’d; Tell not as new what ev’ry body knows; and, new or old, still hasten to a close. From “Conversation” by William Cowper, 1731 – 1800   2. (archaic) close fitting; encircled by a girdle or as... Read More

drudge drudge / drŭj   noun 1. one who performs tedious, menial or unpleasant work When I was young, if a girl married poverty, she became a drudge; if she married wealth, she became a doll. Susan B. Anthony, 1820 – 1906   verb 1. to labor at a tedious, boring or unpleasant task or job The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a... Read More

gingerly gin-ger-ly / jĭn-jər-lē adjective 1. cautious; careful Laurie screwed up his face and obeyed with a gingerly peck at each little cheek that produced another laugh, and made the babies squeal. From “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott, 1832- 1888 adverb 1. with great care or sensitivity; cautiously; timidly It is like ice, on which no beauty of form, no majesty of carriage, can plead any immunity;... Read More

emigrate em-i-grate / ĕm-ĭ-grāt verb 1. to leave one country in order to settle in another You don’t need a passport and you don’t need no visas, you don’t need to designate or emigrate before you can see Jesus. Lyrics from song “Awaiting On You All” by George Harrison, 1943 – 2001 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ immigrate im-mi-grate / ĭm-ĭ-grāt verb 1. to enter a country of which one is not... Read More

contagious con-ta-gious / kən-tā-jəs   adjective 1. of a disease, capable of being transmitted through direct or indirect contact; communicable No company is far preferable to bad, because we are more apt to catch the vices of others than their virtues, as disease is more contagious than health. Charles Caleb Colton, 1780 – 1832   2. carrying or able to spread a disease Sleeping alone seemed unnatural... Read More

canine ca-nine / kā-nīn adjective 1. about, resembling or pertaining to dogs A dog is not almost-human, and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such. John Holmes, 1944 – 1988 2. pertaining to one of the four pointed, conical teeth located next to the incisors in the upper and lower jaws Because these tearing teeth are well developed... Read More

adamant ad-a-mant /  ăd-ə-mənt, ăd-ə-mănt adjective 1. inflexible, unyielding They are decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent. Winston Churchill, 1874 – 1965 noun 1.  a legendary stone that was once considered so hard it was impenetrable, often identified with the diamond Habits, soft and pliant at first, are like some coral stones, which... Read More

palpable pal-pa-ble / păl-pə-bəl   adjective 1. tangible; capable of being touched or felt The world, this palpable world, which we were wont to treat with the boredom and disrespect with which we habitually regard places with no sacred association for us, is in truth a holy place, and we did not know it. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, 1881 – 1955   2. in medicine, able to... Read More

humiliate hu-mil-i-ate / hyo͞o-mĭl-ē-āt verb 1. to treat in a way that takes away a person’s pride, dignity or self-respect A second basic fact that characterizes nonviolence is that it does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929 – 1968

dumbfound also dumfound dumb-found / dŭm–found verb 1. to perplex with amazement; to confound; to shock and leave speechless It’s not easy to dumbfound a New Yorker. Taehee Kim, “Just Another Day on the Sidewalks of New York”, ‘Smithsonian Magazine’, May 1997 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ dumbfounded dumb-found-ed / dŭm–found-ĕd adjective 1. astonished; surprised; amazed I never cease being dumbfounded by the unbelievable things people believe. Leo Rosten, 1908 – 1997