Monday, April 6, 2009

New Words from Webster!

pedagogical
Pronunciation: \ˌpe-də-ˈgä-ji-kəl, -ˈgō-\
Variant(s): also ped·a·gog·ic \-jik\
Function: adjective
Date: 1619
: of, relating to, or befitting a teacher or education

pellucid \puh-LOO-sid\ adjective

*1 : admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion
2 : reflecting light evenly from all surfaces
3 : easy to understand

Example sentence:
The coastal waters were clean and pellucid, allowing us to easily identify the marine life on the ocean floor.

Did you know?
"Pellucid" ultimately derives from the Latin "lucēre" ("to shine"), which in turn contains the root "luc-" ("light"). "Pellucid" is formed from "per" ("through") plus "lucidus" ("lucid, clear"). "Pellucid" has many shining relatives in English. Among the offspring of "lucēre" are "translucent" (essentially, "clear enough to allow light to pass through"), "elucidate" ("to make clear, explain"), "lucent" ("luminous" or "clear"), and of course "lucid" itself (which can mean "shining," "mentally sound," or "easily understood"). Another related word is "Lucifer" (literally, "light-bearer"). Other relatives — such as "lackluster" ("lacking brightness"), "illustrate" (originally, "to make bright"), and "lustrous" ("shining" or "radiant") — trace from the related verb "lustrare" ("to brighten"). Clearly, "pellucid" is just one of a family of brilliant terms.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Webster words of the day and Podcast

erudite \AIR-uh-dyte\ adjective

: possessing or displaying extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books : learned

Example sentence:
The university hosted an informative lecture given by an erudite scholar of Cold War history.

esoteric \es-uh-TAIR-ik\ adjective

*1 : designed for or understood by a small number of people; broadly: difficult to understand
2 : private, confidential

Example sentence:
Computer programming was once an esoteric subject, but beginner courses and how-to books have made it easier to grasp.

Ma·chi·a·vel·lian
Pronunciation: \ˌma-kē-ə-ˈve-lē-ən, -ˈvel-yən\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Niccolo Machiavelli
Date: 1572
1: of or relating to Machiavelli or Machiavellianism
2: suggesting the principles of conduct laid down by Machiavelli ; specifically : marked by cunning, duplicity, or bad faith