Pronunciation [pen-‘ul-tê-mêt] Hear it
adjective
Last but one; applied to the last syllable but one o of a word, the syllable preceding it being termed the antepenultimate.
noun
The last syllable but one of a word; the penult.
[Latin paene, pene = almost, and ultimus = last.]
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]]>Pronunciation [‘væn-dêl] Hear it
noun
1) One of a Teutonic race, originally inhabiting the southern shore of the Baltic. They began to be troublesome to the Romans A.D. 160. In A.D. 410 they mastered Spain in conjunction with the Alani and Sueve, and received for their share Vandalitia (Andalusia). In A.D. 429 they crossed into Africa under Genseric, and not only obtained possession of Byzacium, Gaetulia, and part of Munidia but crossed over into Ital (A.D. 455), and plundered Rome. After the death of Genseric the Vandal power declined.
2) One who willfully or ignorantly destroys or disfigures any work of art, literature, or the like.
adjective
Pertaining to or resembling the Vandals; Vandalic.
[Latin Vandalus = a Vandal, one of the tribe of Vandali, literally = the wanderers; compare with English wanderer (q.v.).]
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]]>Pronunciation [‘les] Hear it
adjective
Smaller; of less size, extent, or amount; not so large or great.
adverb
In a smaller or lower degree; not so much.
noun
1) A quantity smaller than another; not so much.
2) A younger, an inferior, a junior.
[Anglo Saxon laessa. Laessa is for laes-ra, and is the comparative from a root las, which appears to Gothic lasius = feeble; Icelandic lasina = feeble, ailing; lasna = to become feeble, to decay. Less is used as the comparative of little, but is from an entirely different root.]
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]]>Pronunciation [‘ree-fleks] Hear it
noun
1) A reflection; an image produced by reflection.
2) Light reflected from an enlightened surface to one in shade; hence, in painting, applied to the illumination of one body or part of it by light reflected from another body represented in the same piece.
adjective
1) Turned or thrown backward, having a backward direction; bent back; reflective, reflected, introspective.
2) In botany, bent back; reflexed.
3) In painting; applied to those parts of a picture which are supposed to be illuminated by a light reflected from some other body represented in the piece.
[Latin reflexus, past participle of reflecto = to reflect (q.v.).]
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]]>Pronunciation [al-‘têr-nê-tiv] Hear it
adjective
1) Offering a choice of two things, as an alternative proposal.
2) Alternate
3) In Botany a term used when the pieces of an organ being in two rows, the inner is covered by the outer in such a way that each of the exterior rows overlaps half of two of the interior ones.
4) In grammar the alternative conjunctions are Either—Or, Whether—Or, Neither—Nor.
noun
1) Permission to choose either of two things, but not both; also the two things viewed as standing together that choice may be made between them. In this sense it has no plural.
2) One of two things offered for choice. In this sense the two things offered are called, but not as they should be, an alternative, but two alternatives.
3) One of several things offered to choose among.
[In German alternativ; French alternatif, adjective, alternative, noun; Spanish and Portuguese atternativo, adjective, alternativa, nouse; Italian alternativo, adverb = by turns; alternativa, noun.]
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]]>Pronunciation [‘hyu-mêr]
noun
1) A tendency to disease or disease itself.
2) A proud conceit; an erroneous notion arising from an ill-balanced physical or mental temperament.
3) A manifestation of pettishness or peevishness.
4) A caprice; a whim entertained at the moment.
5) A disposition to look at things from the mirthful point of view.
6) Mental or moral tendency; predominant inclination; general turn or temper of mind.
7) A liquid, a fluid.
8) According to Galen there are four humors, blood, choler, phlegm and melancholy, lying at the bases respectively of the sanguineous, the bilious, the phlegmatic, and the melancholic temperaments. He believed that if all these humors were mixed in equal proportions, the temperament was a perfect one, but if, as was almost always the case, some one markedly predominated, then a person would show certain mental peculiarities produced by, or at least in harmony with the particular humor which preponderated in his physical temperament.
9) A mental faculty which tends to discover incongruous resemblances between things which essentially differ, or essential differences between things put forth as the same; he result being internal mirth or an outburst of laughter. Wit does so likewise, but the two are different. Humor has deep human sympathy, and loves men while raising a laugh against their weaknesses. Wit is deficient in sympathy, and there is often a sting in its ridicule. Somewhat contemptuous of mankind, it has not the patience to study them thoroughly, but most content itself with noting superficial resemblances or differences. Humor is neath the surface; while, therefore, the sallies of wit are often on sided and unfair, those of humor are, as a rule, just and wise.
[French humeur; Old French, Provincial Spanish and Portuguese humour, all from Latin humor a liquid, moisture, humeo = to be moist; Greek chumos = juice, liquid; cheo = to pour; to become liquid; see also Greek huo = to wet.]
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]]>Pronunciation [pi-kê-‘resk] Hear it
adjective
Pertaining to, or treating of, rogues or robbers; specifically, applied to books dealing with the fortunes of rogues or adventurers, such as Gil Blas.
[French from Spanish picaron = a picaroon (q.v.).]
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]]>Pronunciation [mey-‘yu-tiks]
noun
The system pursued by Socrates in his investigation of truth, in which he endeavored to lead on to the truth by continual questioning.
adjective
Seeming to accelerate or assist childbirth; hence, figuratively, helping to bring forth, educe, or evolve.
[Greek maieutikos, from maia = a midwife.]
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]]>verb
1) To atone or make satisfaction for; to annul or extinguish the guilt of by the sufferance of some penalty.
2) To make reparation or satisfaction for.
3) To avert the threat of prodigies.
[Latin expiatus, past participle of expio = to atone for fully; ex = out, fully, and pio = to propitiate; pius = devout, kind.]
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