INTERESTING WORD ORIGINS: Helping to Fix the Meaning of the Word in Your Mind

INTERESTING WORD ORIGINS: Helping to Fix the Meaning of the Word in Your Mind
1. laconic: adj. (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words, concise, terse: his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic
ORIGIN: derived from the name of a place Laconia, Sparta whose inhabitants (the Spartans) were men of action and few words.
2. odyssey: noun (pl. odysseys) a long and eventful journey or experience: his odyssey from military man to politician
ORIGIN: From Iliad and Odyssey, both Greek epic poems, traditionally ascribed to Homer. Iliad describes how Achilles killed Hector at the climax of the Trojan War. Odyssey describes the travels of Odysseus during years of wandering after the Trojan War. He eventually returned home to Ithaca and killed the suitors who had plagued his wife Penelope during his absence.
3. quixotic: adj. extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical: a vast and perhaps quixotic project
ORIGIN: From Don Quixote the hero of a romance (1605-15) by Cervantes, a satirical account of chivalric beliefs and conduct. The character of Don Quixote is typified by a romantic vision and naïve, unworldly idealism.
4. decimate: verb [with obj.] core sense: kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of (something): the inhabitants of that country have been decimated
sub sense: drastically reduce the strength or effectiveness of (something): public transport has been decimated
ORIGIN: Historically, the meaning of the word decimate is ‘kill one in every ten of (a group of people, originally a mutinous Roman legion) as punishment for the whole group. This sense has been more or less totally superseded by the more general sense given above.
5. cynical: adj. believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity; marked by an attitude of pessimistic disillusionment, especially about people’s hidden ulterior motives: he was brutally cynical and hardened to every sob story under the sun
ORIGIN: From an early Greek school of philosophy Cynicism founded by Antisthenes, a disciple of Socrates. The name is related to the Greek kyon for dog. The early Cynics advocated a simple and austere life and that nothing natural was shameful; and declared kinship with all living creatures. They lived on the streets and in the open sharing food and abode with street dogs. Hence its derivation from the Greek word for dog.
6. swashbuckling: adj. engaging in daring and romantic adventures with bravado or flamboyance: the pirates of the Caribbean are a crew of swashbuckling buccaneers
ORIGIN: From swash (in the sense ‘make a noise like swords clashing or beating on shields’) + buckler (a small round shield held by a handle or worn on the forearm).

CONFUSIBLES: Avoiding Confusion Between Lookalikes, Soundalikes, False Friends, Etc.

CONFUSIBLES: Avoiding Confusion Between Lookalikes, Soundalikes, False Friends, Etc.
1. apprise, appraise: Take care not to confuse these two verbs. To appraise means ‘to evaluate, estimate the worth of: The valuer appraised the painting; It was difficult to appraise their contribution. To apprise is a formal word meaning little more than ‘to tell, to notify’. It often occurs in the passive and is almost always followed by the preposition of: We were apprised of the facts behind the dispute.
2. allusion, delusion, illusion
3. blatant, flagrant
4. elate, exalt, exult
5. exotic, exquisite

MULTIPLE USAGE: Understanding Unfamiliar Usage of Simple Words

MULTIPLE USAGE: Understanding Unfamiliar Usage of Simple Words
1. mundane: adj. core sense 1: (often disapproving) lacking interest or excitement; dull: his mundane humdrum existence
core sense 2: of this earthly world rather than a heavenly or spiritual one: Jung’s own sacrifice of mundane goals was the abandonment of his academic career
2. flourish: verb core sense: (no obj.) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way; develop rapidly or successfully: wild plants flourish on the banks of the lake; the organisation has continued to flourish
noun core sense: a bold and extravagant gesture or action, made especially to attract attention; with a flourish, she ushered them inside
3. manifest: adj. clear or obvious to the eye or mind: her manifest charm and proven ability
verb (with obj.) core sense: show a quality or feeling by one’s acts or appearance: she manifested signs of severe depression
sub sense: be evidence of; prove: bad industrial relations are often manifested in strikes
4. incense: noun [U] a gum, spice, or other substance that is burned for the sweet smell it produces: the aromatic smell of burning incense wafted from the temple
verb [with obj.] make very angry : locals are incensed by the suggestion of an SEZ adjoining their villages

CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD: Understanding Contextual Usage

CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD: Understanding Contextual Usage
1. relentless, remorseless, ruthless, pitiless
These words all apply to people or processes that are not affected by anyone’s wishes or entreaties. They differ chiefly in the extent to which they emphasize continuing activity or the attitude with which it is carried out.
• A relentless action or process cannot be stopped (the relentless march of rainforest destruction) and is unvaryingly intense or severe (the ships are subjected to relentless air attack). When applied to a person, it means ‘inflexible or uncompromising’ but does not necessarily imply a lack of pity or humanity (a patient but relentless taskmaster).
• Remorseless is used of a process that will not be stopped or deflected however great the suffering or distress it causes (the company continued the remorseless retrenchment drive). When used of a person, the word marks them out as having no regret or guilt about the distress they have caused (a remorseless killer).
• A ruthless person has no pity or compassion for others (ruthless terrorists murdered a child yesterday) and is usually determined to continue regardless (Mayawati is an astute and ruthless political operator).
• Whereas a ruthless person is without pity for anyone in pursuit of some goal, the emphasis of pitiless, a rarer word, is on a more intrinsic absence of pity itself (his cold pitiless voice).
2. sarcastic, caustic, sardonic, ironic
3. flourish, thrive, prosper
4. lazy, idle, indolent
5. brusque, abrupt, curt, terse
6. assuage, alleviate, allay