Category Archives: Words

\BED-luhm\ , noun; 1.A scene or state of wild uproar and confusion. 2.An archaic term for an insane asylum or madhouse. It was a scorching Saturday to start the 4th of July weekend.  Some friends of mine were meeting at the Hemlocks to swim and I gladly agreed to meet them.  I packed my towel and bookContinue reading “bedlam.”

\dih-SIJ-oo-uhs\, adjective; 1.Falling off or shed at a particular season, stage of growth, etc. 2.Shedding the leaves annually, as certain trees and shrubs. 3.Not permanent; transitory. The magic of fall and winter are still astounding to this Florida girl.  Thus, the deciduous process of the leaves falling off is even fondly accepted.  Deciduousness brings hotContinue reading “deciduous.”

\suh-BAT-i-kuhl\ , noun; 1.Any extended period of leave from one’s customary work, especially for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc. adjective: 1.Of or pertaining to or appropriate to the Sabbath. 2.Bringing a period of rest. At the end of my delightful four year pursuit of a liberal arts education, my advisor asked me what myContinue reading “sabbatical.”

\PUHL-yuh-leyt\ , verb; 1.To exist abundantly; swarm; teem. 2.To send forth sprouts, buds, etc. 3.To increase rapidly; multiply. This is a stretch, folks.  But I want to share this gem of an article I read tonight.  So my stretch of a connection is:  Odd words for odd things pullulate this day and age. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/85591 1. You know howContinue reading “pullulate.”

\YAIR-lee\ , adveb; 1.With quickness or agility. Not too long ago there was a snake swimming yarely in our pool.  My mom said to my dad, “Please get that snake out of the pool yarely (she might’ve used another word…hard to say.)”  My fearless father bent down, grabbed the snake, and aimed to throw it over theContinue reading “yarely.”

\KOSH-er\ , verb; 1.To treat with special fondness. Many Jewish folk cosher items that are kosher.  I coshered my Jewish professor at Mars Hill, Dr. Ziffer.  A Holocaust survivor, I imagined he’d be a wealth of knowledge and history.  I was right, but he very much surprised me with his spirituel wit and charm.  He told storiesContinue reading “cosher.”

\ PER-i-gruh-neyt \  , verb; 1.To travel or journey, especially to walk on foot. 2.To travel or walk over; traverse. I used to think stories about grandparents walking to work or school “uphill both ways” was an impossibility.  That’s because I grew up in FL.  My last job paid 4 extra dollars a day to those who walked to work.  So this supported my latte-a-day addiction.  But one day in frigid January,Continue reading “peregrinate.”

\ in-kuh-MOH-dee-uhs \  , adjective; 1.Inconvenient, as not affording sufficient space or room; uncomfortable. Classes and exams are over and dorms are closed except to graduating seniors.  So tonight I went on a walk to enjoy the beauty of Spring and the silence of a calm campus.  I walked out of my building on the quad, and heard a tuba and trombone player.  I thought dearContinue reading “incommodious.”

\ DAN-dl \  , verb; 1.To move (a baby, child, etc.) lightly up and down, as on one’s knee or in one’s arms. 2.To pet; pamper. “My remote control is not sticky and the back is still in tact, which means I do not have kids,” said Ellen Degeneres.  That comment makes me think that I, too, want an unsticky remote.  But then I babysit and sit lil waddler down to read a book, and he scoots ontoContinue reading “dandle.”

\BAWL-der-dash\ , noun; 1.Senseless, stupid, or exaggerated talk or writing; nonsense. 2.(Archaic:) A muddled mixture of liquors. I’ve developed a pretty nonsensical game with the three-year-old dreamer I watch.  We pretend we are stirring up cake batter or some other sort of recipe…and she has me try it…then she squeals, “there’s a worm in that!!!” and IContinue reading “balderdash.”