magnanimity mag-na-nim-i-ty / măg-nə-nĭm-ĭ-tē noun 1. the characteristic of being noble and generous, without pettiness; generosity It would be judicious to act with magnanimity towards a prostrate foe. Millard Fillmore, 1800 – 1874 2. a noble and generous act of forgiveness or kindness The latter spared him, and this magnanimity Bonaparte subsequently repaid by death. From “War and Peach” by Leo Tolstoy, 1828 – 1910

summon sum-mon / sŭm-ən   verb 1. to call together, particularly for a meeting The drum then beat to quarters, and all hands were summoned on deck. From “The Heir of Kilfinnan” by W. H. G. Kingston, 1814 – 1880   2. to send for; to request someone to come Governor Hutchinson, soon afterward, was summoned to England, in order that he might give his advice about... Read More

entail en-tail / ĕn-tāl, ĭn-tāl   noun 1. predetermined order of succession He saw the fertile fields of New England proportioned out among a few great landholders, and descending by entail from generation to generation. From “Grandfather’s Chair” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804 – 1864   2. the act of restricting an inheritance to the owner’s lineal descendants, particularly involving property I’d have you to remember, sir, my... Read More

assuage as-suage / ə-swāj   verb 1. to lessen, to ease, to make less severe By telling our woes we often assuage them. French Proverb   2. to calm or comfort; to soothe; to mollify I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be... Read More

valentine val-en-tine / văl-ən-tīn   noun 1. a greeting card expressing love and affection, sent on February 14, Saint Valentine’s Day Never sign a valentine with your own name. Charles Dickens, 1812 – 1870   2. a person that one considers to be a sweetheart, and to whom one sends a card expressing love or affection on February 14 Oh, if it be to choose and call thee... Read More

nosegay nose-gay / nōz–gā noun 1.  a small bouquet of flowers I have here only made a nosegay of culled flowers, and have brought nothing of my own but the thread that ties them together. Miquel de Montaigne, 1533 – 1592

dullard dull-ard / dŭl-ərd noun 1. a person who is stupid, slow-witted or who lacks imagination Some people become dullards, but as children we are all creative. Julie Taymor, 1952 –

collage col-lage / kō-läzh, kə-läzh   noun 1. a work of art created by pasting various objects and materials together on a surface Anyone who’s ever put a stamp on an envelope or a note on their refrigerator knows what it’s like to make a collage. Elliott Hundley, 1975 –   2. an art form created by pasting various objects and materials together on a surface Collage is... Read More

memento me-men-to / mə-mĕn-tō noun (plural mementos or mementoes) 1. a token as a reminder; a souvenir or keepsake I thought the pen had been a good pen and that it had done enough for me, and so, with the idea of keeping it for a sort of memento on which I could look later with tender eyes, I put it into my waistcoat pocket. From... Read More

frisson fris-son / frē-sōN   noun 1. a sudden tremble due to extreme excitement; a sudden thrill As a columnist, I realize that whatever amount of corruption I expose, half my readers will block it out, although they may get a frisson of joy in the process. Margaret Carlson, ? –