sultry/sul-try/suhl-tree Adjective: sweltering, very hot and humid What men call gallantry, and gods adultery, is much more common where the climate’s sultry.  Lord Byron, 1788 – 1824 Adjective: giving off great heat Bare-headed in the sultry sun, Ahab stood on the bowsprit, and with one hand pushed far behind in readiness to wave his orders to the helmsman, cast his eager glance in the... Read More

Father/fa-ther/fä-thər Noun:  (In Christian belief) the first person of the Trinity; God “Father! – to God himself we cannot give a holier name.” William Wordsworth, 1770 – 1850 Noun:  (often as a title or form of address) a priest In the days of my youth, Father William replied,  I remember’d that youth could not last;  I thought of the future, whatever I did,  That I never might... Read More

Flag/flag/ flăg   Noun: cloth with a special pattern on it, used as the sign of a country, club, etc. “On the American flag, the color white is for purity, red is for valor, and blue is for justice.” Charles Sumner, 1811 – 1874 Noun: an allegiance symbolized by a standard “Most people are willing to take the Sermon on the Mount as a... Read More

World Turtle Day Turtle/tur/tle  1.  NOUN: a slow-moving terrestrial reptile that uses its leathery, scaly shell as protection from prey into which it retracts its head and legs “Life is like a turtle …you can’t go anywhere unless you stick your neck out.” – August Mansker 2.  NOUN: a freshwater or semiaquatic reptile typically found in wet, damp, marsh-type environments that has a flattened, thinner shell in... Read More

Widower 1.  NOUN: “He that outlives a wife whom he has long loved, sees himself disjoined from the only mind that has the same hopes, and fears, and interest; from the only companion with whom he has shared much good and evil; and with whom he could set his mind at liberty, to retrace the past or anticipate the future. The continuity of being... Read More

Word of the Day: Heart   Heart/heart NOUN: a vital organ that acts as a pump by maintaining blood flow through arteries and veins when the surrounding muscles expand and contract The human heart pumps oxygen to the brain, by beating 100,000 times each day.   NOUN: the center of one’s feelings or spirituality “The human heart, at whatever age, opens to the heart that... Read More

Infrastructure/in/fra/struc/ture   NOUN: the physical resources of basic equipment, bridges, roads, and buildings that are needed for countries, communities and organizations to function properly “Not only does investing in your infrastructure provide very good construction jobs, at the end of the project, you have something.” –Shelley Berkley (1951- ) NOUN: the organizational resources of basic personnel framework that are essential for schools, hospitals and... Read More

1.  ADJECTIVE: having the utmost loyalty, respect and integrity for a cause or purpose “We will not fail your expectations of us as a new nation dedicated to peace, democracy and freedom.” -Shigeru Yoshida (1878-1967) 2.  ADJECTIVE: exclusively designated something for a specific individual or group Each night before you go to bed my baby Whisper a little prayer for me my baby And... Read More

Unwanted/un/wan/ted 1.  ADJECTIVE: referring to no longer or not desired “It’s very hard, feeling that you’re no more than a piece of unwanted furniture in this world.” – Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) 2.  ADJECTIVE: never being accepted or loved   “Perhaps the unattached, the unwanted, the unloved, could grow to give love as lushly as anyone else.” -Vanessa Diffenbaugh (1978- )

Alphabetical/al/pha/bet/ic/al   ADJECTIVE: relating to the arrangement of letters or characters in a customary order “Dictionary is a universe in alphabetical order.” –Voltaire (1694-1778) Samuel Johnson, an English writer, developed the first alphabetical system in his Dictionary of English Language in 1755. Currently, we can utilize his alphabetical concept as an organizational tool while completing the following tasks: Look up a word in a... Read More