Word origins

• retouchTo improve something (especially a photograph), by adding or correcting details, or by removing flaws.
• ostensibleApparent, evident; meant for open display.
• rivestA surname from French.
• fourcheHaving the ends forked or branched, and the ends of the branches terminating abruptly as if cut off; said of an ordinary, especially of a cross.
• ententeAn informal alliance or friendly understanding between two states.
• somersaultStarting on one's feet, an instance of rotating one's body 360 degrees while airborne or on the ground, with one's feet passing over one's head.
• reparteeA swift, witty reply, especially one that is amusing.
• ChambordA commune and town in Loir-et-Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
• DagerA surname from Catalan.
• rapprochementThe reestablishment of cordial relations, particularly between two countries; a reconciliation.
• polonaiseOf or pertaining to the Poles, or to Poland.
• TruexA surname.
• amazoneA woman's riding habit.
• soffitThe visible underside of an arch, balcony, beam, cornice, staircase, vault or any other architectural element.
• jauntyAiry; showy; finical.
• tobogganA long sled without runners, with the front end curled upwards, which may be pulled across snow by a cord or used to coast down hills.
• LongueuilA city in the region of Montérégie, Quebec, Canada.
• convulsiveMarked by or having the nature of convulsions.
• LevertA surname from French.
• gendarmeA member of the gendarmerie, a military body charged with police duties.
• ArmondA surname from French.
• blagAn armed robbery or robbery involving violence; also, theft.
• palatialOf or relating to a palace.
• convivialHaving elements of a feast or of entertainment, especially when it comes to eating and drinking, with accompanying festivity
• academicianA member (especially a senior one) of the faculty at a college or university; an academic.
• puceA brownish-purple color, sometimes more or less deep red or grayish.
• sallesA surname.
• disorganizationThe act of disorganizing; destruction of system.
• aplombSelf-confidence; poise; composure.
• epeeA sharp-pointed dueling sword with a bell-shaped guard, used (with the end blunted) in sport fencing.
• saboteurA person who intentionally causes the destruction of property in order to hinder the efforts of their enemy.
• RochefortA surname from French.
• agglutinationThe act of uniting by glue or other tenacious substance; the state of being thus united; adhesion of parts.
• subluxationA partial dislocation of a joint, in which the articulating surfaces remain in partial contact.
• ramageof a person or thing: wild; untamed
• ToureA surname from French.
• rappelDescent by means of a rope.
• biotSynonym of abampere.
• LebeauA surname from French.
• coupletA pair of lines, typically with rhyming end words.
• BarthesA surname from French.
• accreditTo ascribe; attribute; credit with.
• RevoirA surname from French.
• LagasseA surname from French.
• restaurateurThe owner of a restaurant.
• TrempealeauA village and town in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States.
• arachnidAny of the eight-legged creatures, including spiders, mites, and scorpions, of the class Arachnida.
• DialloA Fula surname from French [in turn from Fula].
• millimetreAn SI/MKS unit of measure, the length of ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ of a metre. Symbol: mm
• yurtA large, round, semi-permanent tent with vertical walls and a conical roof, usually associated with Central Asia and Mongolia (where it is known as a ger).
• BirmanA medium-sized semi-longhair domestic cat of a breed originating in Burma.
• floridHaving a rosy or pale red colour; ruddy.
• HillardA surname from French.
• bandeauA band for the hair.
• isothermA line on a graph or chart, such as a weather map, along which all the points have the same temperature.
• bayleA surname from French [in turn from Occitan].
• concessionaireOne who holds a concession or a right granted (for example, by the government) to conduct a certain business.
• paradigmaticOf or pertaining to a paradigm.
• QuimperA city, the prefecture of Finistère department, Brittany, France.
• LafontA surname from French.
• mancheThe neck of a violin.
• absolutismDoctrine of preordination; doctrine of absolute decrees; doctrine that God acts in an absolute manner.
• guepardA cheetah.
• delimitTo mark or fix the limits of.
• LavergneA surname from French.
• bijectionA one-to-one correspondence, a function which is both a surjection and an injection.
• pharmacopoeiaA text describing medicines and pharmacological substances, especially their use, preparation, and regulation.
• tassieTasmanian: a native or inhabitant of Tasmania, Australia.
• serousContaining, secreting, or resembling serum; watery; a fluid or discharge that is pale yellow and transparent, usually representing something of a benign nature. (This contrasts with sanguine, which means blood-tinged and usually harmful.)
• galvanizeTo coat with a layer of metal by electrochemical means.
• marronA sweet chestnut.
• bouleOne of the bowls used in the French game of boules.
• malbecA variety of grape used in making red wine, originally from France, but now predominantly grown in Argentina.
• evacueeA person who has been evacuated, especially a civilian evacuated from a dangerous place in time of war
• eleganteA fashionable lady.
• ParisienneA woman from Paris.
• neversA prefecture of Nièvre department, Burgundy, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France.
• cantonmentTemporary military living quarters.
• absolutistOne who is in favor of an absolute or autocratic government.
• GarandThe M1 Garand, an American semi-automatic rifle.
• tureenA broad, deep serving dish used for serving soup or stew.
• mentonThe lowest point of the chin / mandibular symphysis.
• BayeuxA town in Calvados department, Normandy, France; noted for the Bayeux Tapestry.
• xanthineAny of a group of alkaloids that include caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine as well as the parent compound, a precursor of uric acid found in many organs of the body.
• AssiniboineA member of an indigenous people related to the Sioux living in the Great Plains in the United States and Canada.
• sagacityThe quality of being sage, wise, or able to make good decisions; the quality of being perceptive, astute or insightful.
• insubordinationThe quality or state of being insubordinate; disobedience to lawful authority; specifically, an employee's failure or refusal to comply with a request or an assignment given by his/her supervisor.
• maquetteA preliminary model or sketch used in preparation for making a sculpture.
• diaboloA juggling apparatus consisting of a spool which is whirled and tossed on a string attached to handsticks.
• LabattA surname from French.
• monetizeTo convert something (especially a security) into currency.
• luthierA person who, or a business which, makes or repairs stringed wooden musical instruments, such as lutes, violins, and guitars.
• morphemeThe smallest linguistic unit within a word that can carry a meaning. It may be a letter, a syllable, or otherwise.
• EsmeA male given name from French.
• charterhouseA Carthusian monastery.
• SavardA surname from French.
• BassinA surname.
• TatooineA fictional desert planet in Star Wars with two suns.
• sabbatAny of the eight major holy days celebrated in Wicca.
• friableEasily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder.