Words by Definition

Have you ever noticed, while reading, there is a word you might come across, and it’s not one we use regularly in our vernacular?  It happens to most of us, sometimes on a regular basis when reading historic tomes, and we catch the meaning of the word, usually, by grasping the context it portrays in the sentence.  However, if someone said, “Define opprobrium,” you might give pause before trying to do so.

During the course of reading this year, I happened to read quite a few words like that.  So, I wrote down some of them, looked them up, and decided to put them in the Editor’s Corner.   Here are twenty words that are words by definition that we (sort of) know what they mean but would never want to have to define:

Opprobrium.  This noun, its provenance from the Latin word meaning “opposed to a disgraceful act” is defined as just that – widespread disgrace for terrible behavior.  Hitler and his ilk have earned everlasting opprobrium of the world for their deplorable actions.

Sinecure.   A noun that denotes a cushy position that offers sizable profit (and honor) for very little work or effort.  Think political family members and royal relatives.

Inveigh.   A verb that is defined as speaking or writing with great hostility toward someone or something.  Both Confederate and Union newspapers inveighed the actions of Abraham Lincoln over the course of the war.

Posit.   A verb that denotes putting a subject, usually complex, into context, to form a hypothesis or to make a valid assumption.  Philosophers often posit the mysteries of the universe.

Dilatory.   An adjective describing the act of delaying or postponing, usually to gain time for an advantage.  The coach decided on a dilatory tactic to secure the win.

Probity.   A noun that defines the actions of a person who is highly moral and ethical.  The probity of Abraham Lincoln is globally accepted today.

Vitiate.   A verb that means to spoil, corrupt, or make defective.  The laxity among the employees vitiated the entire production line of ordnance.

Pulchritude.   A noun that means exceptional beauty.  According to Homer’s Iliad , a war erupted over one woman’s pulchritude.

Chimera.   This noun had beginnings in the Middle Ages as the name for a fire-breathing mythical monster with a dragon’s body and a lion’s head.  It has come to mean a foolish idea, as we no longer believe in mythical monsters.  The story was a waste of time to read, it was pure chimera.

Parvenu.   A person who suddenly rises from poverty and/or obscurity to great wealth and power – and makes quite a display of it.  Charles Dickens was especially talented at writing about the typical parvenu.

Virago.   A woman who is domineering, ill-tempered, and often violent.  We pitied the poor husband after meeting the virago he recently married.

Filip.   A stimulus or needed boost to an event.   The musical entertainment proved a filip to the party.

Ecomium.   A noun that denotes excessive praise for someone in a speech or in writing.  It comes from the Greek “to eulogize” and the Latin for “to revel in”.  The biography of Robert E. Lee by Douglas Southall Freeman is a true ecomium of the Confederate general.

Vituperate.   To hurl abuse, either verbally or in writing.  As Historicus, Dan Sickles was eager to vituperate George Meade’s actions at Gettysburg.

Trenchant.   An adjective that means exceedingly keen and effective, penetrating, cutting to the quick verbally.  The journalist’s witty criticism of the President was fabulously trenchant.

Punctilious.   An adjective that describes a person paying scrupulous attention to detail in manners or actions that will positively affect how others look at him or her.  Punctilious affectations have thankfully relaxed since Victorian times.

Ignominious.  An adjective that describes an act that is deserving of public disgrace and then withdrawing into oblivion.  Herod the Great was anything but that – his ignominious act of slaughtering innocent children is painful to study.

Pietistical.   An adjective that has evolved since Medieval times describing someone who is ostentatiously religiously devoted; it can also mean someone or something that someone else finds quite fabulous.  The Confederates at Gettysburg were almost pietistical in their reverence for General Lee.

Proscription.   It’s amazing how one letter in a word can diametrically change its meaning (as in prescription, for instance).  A proscription is the all-reaching act of condemning or banning.  Nazi Germany was all consuming in their proscription of ethnic people.

Expurgate.   A verb that is defined as cutting or editing out a portion of a written text or speech that the editor deems would be unsuitable for the reading public or audience.  Thankfully for history, William Henry Seward expurgated almost nothing of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Thank goodness for the ability to understand by context, but definitions are still the best way to go.

Pass the words.