amulet am-u-let /  ăm-yə-lĭt noun 1. a charm thought to protect one from evil or disease; a talisman To love is the great amulet that makes this world a garden. Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1894 etymology From the Latin noun amuletum (charm, talisman) through the French noun amulette of the same meaning. Thank you to Allen Ward for providing this etymology.

skunk skunk / skŭngk noun 1. a rodent from the family Mephitidae in the Americas, with black fur distinguished by a white strip that goes down its back and tail and sprays an awful smell when threatened You cannot catch skunks with mice.  Canadian Proverb 2. slang, a vile person And you say that the skunk means to set up in business as a pirate? From... Read More

immediate im-me-di-ate / ĭ-mē-dē-ĭt adjective 1. occurring right away, instant Though sin often brings immediate pleasure, it gives no lasting joy.  R. C. Sproul, 1939 – 2. directly following or preceding, with no time in between The immediate future is going to be tragic for all of us unless we find a way of making the vast educational resources of this country serve the true purpose... Read More

useful use-ful / yo͞os-fəl adjective 1. helpful, serviceable Unless what we do is useful, glory is vain. Latin Proverb 2. providing for a common need; having a practical purpose; utilitarian The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people. Karl Marx, 1818 – 1883 etymology useful, a combination of the English adjectival sufix “-ful” (full of, characterized by) and the English noun “use,” which... Read More

relate re-late / rĭ-lāt verb 1. to have a connection or association with another When indeed shall we learn that we are all related one to the other, that we are all members of one body?  Helen Keller, 1880 – 1968 2. to tell; to provide a record of the events We relate all our afflictions more frequently than we do our pleasures. Fanny Burney, 1752 –... Read More

narcissistic  nar-cis-sis-tic / när-suh-sis-tik adjective  1. overly concerned with one’s own appearance I was never narcissistic about my looks, but people thought that I should be so therefore I was. Gore Vidal, 1925 – 2012 2. overly self-centered; thinking too highly of oneself Meditation is a way to be narcissistic without hurting anyone. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 1960 – etymology narcissistic, from Narcissus, the Latin transliteration of the name of... Read More

ferret fer-ret / fĕr-ĭt noun 1. a domesticated variety of polecat, Mustela putorius, raised for hunting purposes Here and there they rushed with wild screams and curses, diving under the sail, crouching behind booms, huddling into corners like rabbits when the ferrets are upon them, as helpless and as hopeless.  From “The White Company” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859 – 1930 2. a small rodent,... Read More

name name / nām adjective 1.  famous or well known We will provide you with the best prices on top name brands! 2. bearing the words one is called or known by I wear a name tag to help people find me.  Eoin Colfer, 1965 – noun 1. a word that identifies something and differentiates it from others; the word or words by which something is known What’s in... Read More

essential es-sen-tial / ĭ-sĕn-shəl adjective 1. indispensable, completely necessary A dictionary is an essential tool for a quality education; you cannot do your best work without one. Caroline Brost, The Dictionary Project 2. fundamental; inherent An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.  Edwin Land, 1909 – 1991 3. totally, without exception; perfect A soul connection is a resonance between two people who respond to... Read More

eradicate e-rad-i-cate / ĭ-răd-ĭ-kāt verb 1. to destroy completely Words are more powerful than perhaps anyone suspects, and once deeply engraved in a child’s mind, they are not easily eradicated.  From “I Knew a Phoenix: Sketches for an Autobiography” by May Sarton, 1912 – 1995 2. to pull up by the roots Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil... Read More