THURSDAY, JUNE 11

Abracadabra

[a-brə-kə-DAB-rə]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, late 17th century

1.(exclamation) A word said by magicians when performing a magic trick.

2.The implausibly easy achievement of difficult feats.

Examples of Abracadabra in a sentence

"The 'abracadabra!' was accompanied by a quick puff of smoke from the wand."

"It seems like a lot of work, but with a little abracadabra we'll get this garage cleaned out in an afternoon."

About Abracadabra

When a child learns their first magic trick, they’re taught to shout “abracadabra!” at the big reveal. But this word isn’t only used as a magical exclamation. It’s also a handy little term to describe difficult feats that appear easy. “Oh, it’s just a bit of abracadabra!”

Did you Know?

If you have a fever, why not try abracadabra? Second-century Roman author Quintus Serenus Sammonicus gave instructions for an amulet used to ward off fever. He prescribed to write the word abracadabra repeatedly on a piece of papyrus, dropping off the last letter each time. When abracadabra disappeared, so would the fever. Or maybe just try aspirin.

MONDAY, JUNE 1

Axiomatic

[ak-see-ə-MAD-ik]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Greek, late 18th century

1. Self-evident or unquestionable.

2. (Mathematics) Relating to or containing axioms.

Examples of Axiomatic in a sentence

"You might think the solution is axiomatic, but I need more evidence."

"The suggestion to extend the deadline was axiomatic, and the vote was unanimous."

About Axiomatic

“We hold these truths to be axiomatic.” Doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it? Axiomatic means self-evident, or so obvious that no evidence is needed. The Founding Fathers found life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to be axiomatic, but it still needed to be spelled out in the Declaration of Independence.

Did you Know?

We’re not teaching math here, but axiomatic is a helpful word to learn. Much of mathematical theory is built upon axioms. An axiom is a statement that is accepted to be true — a starting point. For example, Euclidean geometry starts with five axioms, and all theorems come from these simple axiomatic rules.

MONDAY, MAY 11

Sagacious

[sə-GEY-shus]Part of speech: adjective

Origin: latin, early 17th century

• Having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgement.
• Wise or shrewd.

Examples of Sagacious in a sentence

• She could always rely on her mentor to provide sagacious feedback.
• The op-ed provided a sagacious viewpoint on the recent controversy.

About Sagacious

To be sagacious means to be wise, but specifically showing keen judgment. It’s not just about intelligence, but it’s showing discernment. It could be described as using “street smarts” in addition to “book smarts.”

Did you Know?

You probably know sage as the spice that makes an appearance at Thanksgiving, but the Latin word “sagax” also means wise. Use sage as an adjective, or it can be a noun for a wise person. Sagacious can also be used for the adjective if you feel like it’s wise to use a longer word.

TUESDAY, MAY 5

Zeitgeist

[ZAIT-gaist]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: german, mid-19th century

• The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.

Examples of Zeitgeist in a sentence

• She wanted to embrace the zeitgeist of the 1980s for her birthday party.
• The bestselling book captured the zeitgeist of the college experience.

About Zeitgeist

It seems like there’s always a German word to express what we don’t have a word for in English. In the case of zeitgeist, you’re capturing a particular mood or characteristics of a certain era. In German, “zeit” means time and “geist” is the spirit.

Did you Know?

If you see a flapper dress you think of the 1920s. Hippie bell bottoms bring to mind the 1960s. Hoop skirts will place a woman in the mid-19th century. Articles of clothing can quickly identify a period of time, but other things such as music, political ideas, and philosophies will also define the zeitgeist of a generation.

THURSDAY, APRIL 23

Teleconference

[TEL-ə-kahn-fər-əns]Part of speech: noun

Origin: english, mid-20th century

• A conference with participants in different locations linked by telecommunications devices.

Examples of Teleconference in a sentence

• We'll be on a teleconference for this meeting, because people are in New York and London.
• The teleconference starts at noon, so make sure you have your phone with you.

About Teleconference

Teleconference is a contraction of the English words telephone and conference. If you want to get even more specfic about the etymology, "tele" means far off and "phone" is sound in Greek. In Latin, "conferre" means bring together. So we've got a mishmash of Greek and Latin bringing together people with sound.

Did you Know?

President Rutherford B. Hayes commented to Alexander Graham Bell about the telephone, “That’s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?” Well, about 250 years later, almost everyone has one in their pocket. And business people around the world are able to communicate through teleconference.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14

Habile

[HA-bəl]Part of speech: adjective

Origin: latin, 15th century

• Deft.
• Skillful.

Examples of Habile in a sentence

• She whipped up a tasty dinner with just a few habile steps.
• The habile seamstress was in high demand for wedding dress alterations.

About Habile

In Latin, "habilis" means something is easily handled. The French word "habile" means skillful, and we kept that definition in Middle English as well. Able is the more common word today, but habile remains a particularly skillful word.

Did you Know?

In today's parlance, you're more likely to use the word able rather than habile. The pronunciations are somewhat similar, and the meanings are close. Able implies you have at least the basic ability to do something. But to be habile is to be quite talented.

THURSDAY, APRIL 2

Transpicuous

[trans-PIK-yoo-əs]Part of speech: adjective

Origin: latin, mid-17th century

• Transparent.
• Easily understood, lucid.

Examples of Transpicuous in a sentence

• After spring cleaning, my windows were transpicuous and sparkling.
• Your argument is well reasoned and transpicuous.

About Transpicuous

Transpicuous means something is transparent, or can be seen through. It can be in a literal sense, as in a crystal-clear plate glass window, or you can use it in a more figurative sense. You’re trying to be transpicuous about your feelings for your new girlfriend. Either way, it’s easy to see.

Did you Know?

The Latin root for transpicuous is “transpicere,” meaning to look through, but “specere” on its own means to look or see. You might recognize a few other “seeing” words that share this origin. Conspicuous means attracting notice; inspect means to look at something closely.

TUESDAY, MARCH 31

Abstemious

[əb-STEE-mee-əs]Part of speech: adjective

Origin: latin, early 17th century

• Not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking.
• Abstaining.

Examples of Abstemious in a sentence

• He threw his abstemious diet out the window and indulged in cake on his birthday.
• The family was very abstemious, keeping no sugar or junk food in the house

About Abstemious

“Abstemius” in Latin is spelled slightly differently from its English counterpart, abstemious, but they mean the same thing. “Ab” means from and “temetum” means alcoholic drink. An abstemious man is one who does not indulge in excessive food or drink.

Did you Know?

There’s a fun trick hidden in the word abstemious. Take a look at the vowels — notice anything? Each vowel appears only once and in alphabetical order. Feel free to use this bit of trivia at your next happy hour.

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

Balaclava

[bal-ə-KLAH-və]Part of speech: nounOrigin: turkish, mid-19th century

• A close-fitting garment covering the whole head and neck except for parts of the face, typically made of wool.

Examples of Balaclava in a sentence

• It was too cold to wear just a hat, so he pulled out his balaclava.
• Adding a balaclava under his ski helmet made it fit perfectly.

About Balaclava

They're not just for bank robbers — the balaclava is popular in cold climates and in certain sports. This close-fitting hat covers the whole head, neck and parts of the face, usually leaving only the eyes bare.

Did you Know?

This winter weather accessory came about because the British troops suffered in the cold during the Crimean War. Kind folks back home heard about their plight and started knitting. The special hat made to be worn under the helmet came to be called the balaclava, after the city of Balaklava in the Crimea.