Word origins

• phenomenalVery remarkable; highly extraordinary; amazing.
• assassinSomeone who intentionally kills a person, especially a professional who kills a public or political figure.
• MichelinA surname from French.
• leyArable land used temporarily for hay or grazing.
• extraitSynonym of parfum (“solvent containing around 15% to 40% aromatic compounds”).
• salleA fencing school.
• rendezvousA meeting or date.
• mediocreNot excellent or outstanding, usually disappointingly so.
• BellevilleA surname.
• FIDEThe International Chess Federation.
• carouselA pleasure ride, typically found at amusement parks and fairs and accompanied by music, consisting of a slowly revolving circular platform on which are fixed various seats, frequently shaped like horses or other animals, cars, etc., which may also move up and down; a merry-go-round.
• muralA large painting, usually drawn on a wall.
• JurassicOf or pertaining to the second period of the Mesozoic era, a time still dominated by dinosaurs.
• compulsiveUncontrolled or reactive and irresistible.
• catheterA small tube inserted into a body cavity to administer a drug, create an opening, distend a passageway, or remove fluid.
• madeleineA French type of small gateau or sponge cake, often shaped like an elongated scallop shell.
• manganeseA metallic chemical element (symbol Mn) with an atomic number of 25, not a free element in nature but often found in minerals in combination with iron, and useful in industrial alloy production.
• lucrativeProducing a surplus; profitable.
• caramelA smooth, chewy, sticky confection made by heating sugar and other ingredients until the sugars polymerize and become sticky.
• intoleranceThe state of being intolerant.
• genetAny of several Old World nocturnal, carnivorous mammals, of the genus Genetta, most of which have a spotted coat and a long, ringed tail.
• BlanchardA surname from French; variant form Blanshard.
• baccalaureateA bachelor's degree.
• logisticRelating to symbolic logic.
• cartilageA usually translucent and somewhat elastic, dense, nonvascular connective tissue found in various forms in the larynx and respiratory tract, in structures such as the external ear, and in the articulating surfaces of joints. It composes most of the skeleton of vertebrate embryos, being replaced by bone during ossification in the higher vertebrates.
• seleniumA nonmetallic chemical element (symbol Se) with an atomic number of 34, used mainly in glassmaking and pigments and as a semiconductor.
• parachuteA device, generally constructed from fabric, that is designed to employ air resistance to control the fall of an object or person, causing them to float instead of falling.
• cohesionState of cohering, or of working together.
• reconnaissanceThe act of scouting or exploring (especially military or medical) to gain information.
• ligneSynonym of line (“ill-defined unit of length”).
• PoissonThe Poisson distribution.
• VersaillesA city, suburb of Paris and capital of Yvelines department, Île-de-France, and the former capital of France.
• abandonmentThe act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; total desertion; relinquishment.
• MaisonA surname originating as an occupation.
• chaiA female Romani.
• revueA form of theatrical entertainment in which recent events, popular fads, etc., are parodied.
• detachmentThe action of detaching; separation.
• morphineA crystalline alkaloid (4,5-epoxy-17-methyl-7,8-didehydromorphinan-3,6-diol), extracted from opium, the salts of which are soluble in water and are used as analgesics, anaesthetics and sedatives; it is one of a group of morphine alkaloids.
• contaminantThat which contaminates; an impurity; foreign matter.
• RacineA surname from French.
• vandalismWillful damage to or destruction of any property, such as graffiti or defacement.
• mandolinA stringed instrument of the lute family, having eight strings in four courses, frequently tuned as a violin, and with either a bowl-shaped back or a flat back.
• iterativeOf a procedure that involves repetition of steps (iteration) to achieve the desired outcome; in computing this may involve a mechanism such as a loop.
• celeryA European herb (Apium graveolens) of the carrot family.
• emeryAn impure type of corundum, often used for sanding or polishing.
• intrigueA complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to effect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem; the practice of engaging in hidden schemes.
• libreEspecially of the will: free, independent, unconstrained.
• ambianceA particular mood or atmosphere of an environment or surrounding influence.
• calligraphyThe art or practice of writing letters and words in a decorative style; the letters and words so written.
• DuboisA city, the county seat of Clark County, Idaho, United States.
• chezAt the home of.
• facetAny one of the flat surfaces cut into a gem.
• foiA depiction of a handshake.
• MetzThe capital city of Moselle department, Grand Est, France.
• verveEnthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist, musician, or writer, in composing or performing.
• MercureA surname from French.
• detergentAny non-soap cleaning agent, especially a synthetic surfactant.
• grenadeA small explosive device, designed to be thrown by hand or launched using a rifle, grenade launcher, or rocket.
• LilleThe capital of Nord department and the Hauts-de-France region, France.
• AimeeA female given name from French.
• binocularUsing two eyes or viewpoints; especially, using two eyes or viewpoints to ascertain distance.
• boisA surname from French, related to Dubois.
• sabreA light sword with a curved blade, sharp along the front edge, part of the back edge, and at the point.
• tartanWoven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders, now with different clans (though this only dates from the late 18th century) and some Scottish families and institutions having their own patterns; (countable) a particular type of such fabric.
• prologA programming language developed in the 1970s for artificial intelligence and logic programming.
• facadeThe face of a building, especially the front view or elevation.
• espionageThe act or process of learning secret information through clandestine means.
• jusThe juices given off as meat is cooked.
• druidOne of an order of priests among certain groups of Celts before the adoption of Abrahamic religions.
• DaxA commune of Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
• EliseA female given name from Hebrew.
• clienteleThe body or class of people who frequent an establishment or purchase a service, especially when considered as forming a more-or-less homogeneous group of clients in terms of values or habits; a group of specific clients collectively.
• bureaucraticOf or pertaining to bureaucracy or the actions of bureaucrats.
• espritSpirit, enthusiasm.
• FayeA female given name, variant of Fay.
• omnibusA bus (vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads).
• celluloseA complex carbohydrate that forms the main constituent of the cell wall in most plants and is important in the manufacture of numerous products, such as paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and explosives.
• aviatorAn aircraft pilot, especially a military pilot. The use of the word may imply claims of superior airmanship, as in navy aviator vs. air force pilot.
• destinA surname.
• bicSynonym of disposable ballpoint pen; a stick pen
• coursthree-month unit of television broadcasting corresponding to a natural season.
• renditionAn interpretation or performance of an artwork, especially a musical score or musical work.
• jeanetteA coarse jean fabric, used for linings.
• motocrossA form of off-road motorbike racing.
• pecanA deciduous tree, Carya illinoinensis, of the central and southern United States, having deeply furrowed bark, pinnately compound leaves, and edible nuts.
• promenadeA prom (dance).
• MadelineA female given name from French.
• luxeLuxury.
• revereTo regard someone or something with great awe or devotion.
• domaineA vineyard or wine estate, especially in France.
• celesteAn organ stop, deliberately slightly out of tune to give an undulating sound.
• boyerA Flemish sloop with a castle at each end.
• ensuiteA private bathroom connected to a bedroom, as in an apartment or hotel room.
• JulienA male given name from French, equivalent to English Julian.
• moulinA cylindrical, vertical shaft that extends through a glacier and is carved by meltwater from the glacier’s surface.
• incompetentLacking the degree of ability and responsibility necessary to do a task successfully.
• ainOwn; belonging to one.
• lancerA cavalry soldier armed with a lance weapon.
• miscellanyAn assortment of miscellaneous items.
• LausanneA municipality and city, the capital of Vaud canton, in western Switzerland, in which French is the main language.