Word of the Day - December 2007

The Word of the Day for December 1 is:

nuance \NOO-ahnss\ noun
*1 : a subtle distinction or variation
2 : a subtle quality : nicety
3 : sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value)

Example sentence: Because she wanted to set her novel in New England, the author spent three months in New Hampshire learning the nuances of the local dialect.
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The Word of the Day for December 2 is:

attenuate \uh-TEN-yuh-wayt\ verb
1 : to make thin or slender
*2 : to lessen the amount, force, magnitude, or value of : weaken
3 : to reduce the severity, virulence, or vitality of

Example sentence: The use of computers, with their quiet keyboards, has greatly attenuated the noise level of the office, but Dee misses the sound of clacking typewriters.
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The Word of the Day for December 3 is:

escapade \ESS-kuh-payd\ noun
a usually adventurous action that runs counter to approved or conventional conduct

Example sentence: His latest film is a screwball comedy depicting the calamitous escapades of two men who stow away on a cruise ship.
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The Word of the Day for December 4 is:

rambunctious \ram-BUNK-shuss\ adjective
marked by uncontrollable exuberance : unruly

Example sentence: By the time she finally got the three rambunctious children to bed, the babysitter was exhausted.
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The Word of the Day for December 5 is:

toady \TOH-dee\ noun
: one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors : sycophant

Example sentence: The editorial unfairly characterizes the appointee as one of the mayor's toadies, ignoring her long record of unselfish service to the community.
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The Word of the Day for December 6 is:

Locofoco \loh-kuh-FOH-koh\ noun
1 : a member of a radical group of New York Democrats organized in 1835 in opposition to the regular party organization
*2 : a member of the Democratic party of the United States

Example sentence: "It might be said that Roosevelt was the greatest locofoco since Andrew Jackson." (Robert E. Sherwood, _Roosevelt and Hopkins_)
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The Word of the Day for December 7 is:

confabulate \kun-FAB-yuh-layt\ verb
1 : to talk informally : chat
*2 : to hold a discussion : confer
3 : to fill in gaps in memory by fabrication

Example sentence: Before accepting my offer to purchase their handmade quilt, Polly and Linda took a moment to confabulate.
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The Word of the Day for December 8 is:

supercilious \soo-per-SILL-ee-us\ adjective
: coolly and patronizingly haughty

Example sentence: Lucinda's beauty attracted many suitors, but her supercilious manner eventually drove them all away.
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The Word of the Day for December 9 is:

limpid \LIM-pid\ adjective
1 *a : marked by transparency : pellucid b : clear and
simple in style
2 : absolutely serene and untroubled

Example sentence: "Autumn leaves float on a limpid stream through which you can see the shadows they cast on the stones below." (Ken Johnson, _The Boston Globe_, July 8, 2007)
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The Word of the Day for December 10 is:

imprecate \IM-prih-kayt\ verb
: to invoke evil on : curse

Example sentence: "The workers' sweating brows wrinkled, but I heard no one imprecate the river; each just went back to passing along stories and sandbags." (William Least Heat-Moon, _River-Horse_)
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The Word of the Day for December 11 is:

soporific \sah-puh-RIFF-ik\ adjective
1 *a : causing or tending to cause sleep b : tending to dull awareness or alertness
2 : of, relating to, or marked by sleepiness or lethargy

Example sentence: After dinner, Owen sank onto the couch by the fireplace and -- succumbing to the soporific effect of his full belly and the comfortable surroundings -- quickly fell asleep.
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The Word of the Day for December 12 is:

harry \HAIR-ee\ verb
1 : to make a pillaging or destructive raid on : assault
2 : to force to move along by harassing
*3 : to torment by or as if by constant attack

Example sentence: Seven-year-old Kaitlyn harried her little sister with pokes, hair pulling, and teasing, badgering her until she burst into tears.