Word origins

• hospitablecordial and generous towards guests
• coronetA small crown, such as is worn by a noble.
• prodigalWastefully extravagant.
• adageAn old saying which has obtained credit by long use.
• budgeTo move; to be shifted from a fixed position.
• organistA musician who plays the organ.
• discernmentThe act of distinguishing between things.
• formalityThe state of being formal.
• curativePossessing the ability to cure, to heal or treat illness.
• veracityThe quality of speaking or stating the truth; truthfulness.
• voluptuousCharacterized or marked by full, generous, pleasurable sensation.
• impureContaining undesired intermixtures
• meditativeOf or pertaining to meditation.
• supersedeTo take the place of.
• dissonanceA harsh, discordant combination of sounds.
• preoccupationThe state of being preoccupied or an idea that preoccupies the mind; enthrallment.
• symbolizeTo be symbolic of; to represent.
• promulgationThe act of promulgating or announcing something, especially a proclamation announcing a new law.
• artificeCrafty deception.
• servitudeThe state of being a slave; slavery; being forced to work for others or do their bidding without one's consent or against one's will, either in perpetuity or for a period of time over which one has little or no control.
• transitoryLasting only a short time; temporary.
• capriciousImpulsive and unpredictable; determined by chance, impulse, or whim.
• tenacityThe quality or state of being tenacious, or persistence of purpose; tenaciousness.
• vesicleA membrane-bound compartment found in a cell.
• intelligibleCapable of being understood; clear to the mind.
• perspirationThe action or process of perspiring.
• exuberantVery cheery and peppy; extremely cheerful, energetic and enthusiastic.
• discerniblePossible to discern; detectable or derivable by use of the senses or the intellect.
• decomposeTo separate or break down (something) into its components.
• dogmaticAdhering only to principles which are true a priori, rather than truths based on evidence or deduction.
• preeminentExceeding others in quality or rank; of outstanding excellence, extremely notable or important.
• mistralA strong cold north-west wind in southern France and the Mediterranean.
• cursiveRunning; flowing.
• rutterA horseman or cavalryman, especially a German one, associated with the wars of the 16th and 17th centuries.
• vitreousOf or resembling glass; glassy.
• anagramA word or phrase that is created by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase.
• rectoryThe residence of Roman Catholic priest(s) associated with a parish church.
• fragilityThe condition or quality of being fragile; brittleness; frangibility.
• aggravationThe act of aggravating, or making worse; used of evils, natural or moral; the act of increasing in severity or heinousness; something additional to a crime or wrong and enhancing its guilt or injurious consequences.
• subordinationThe process of making or classing (something or somebody) as subordinate.
• gratuityAn additional payment given freely as thanks for service.
• chamoisA short-horned goat antelope native to mountainous terrain in southern Europe; Rupicapra rupicapra.
• clefA symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff
• pretenseThe action of pretending; false or simulated show or appearance; false or hypocritical assertion or representation.
• defrayTo pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something).
• sorbetFrozen fruit juice, sometimes mixed with egg whites, eaten as dessert or between courses of a meal.
• zanyUnusual and awkward in a funny, comical manner; outlandish; clownish.
• superscriptA type of lettering form that appears as a number, figure, or symbol above the normal line of type, located at the right or left of another symbol or text.
• roanHaving a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in.
• deliberativeThat deliberates, considers carefully.
• orioleAny of various colourful passerine birds, New World orioles of the genus Icterus (family Icteridae) and Old World orioles of the family Oriolidae.
• atrocityAn extremely cruel act; a horrid act of injustice.
• urinalA device or fixture used for urination, particularly
• cursoryHasty or superficial.
• hymenA membrane which completely or partially occludes the vaginal opening in human females.
• talcOriginally a large range of transparent or glistening foliated minerals. Examples include mica, selenite and the hydrated magnesium silicate that the term talc generally has referred to in modern times (see below). Also an item made of such a mineral and depending for its function on the special nature of the mineral (see next). Medieval writers adopted the term from the Arabic.
• effusionA liquid outpouring.
• notorietyAn infamous or notorious condition or reputation.
• pendTo hang down; to cause something to hang down
• irreparableIncapable of being repaired, amended, cured or rectified; unrepairable.
• intercessionThe act of intervening or mediating between two parties.
• exhaleTo expel air from the lungs through the nose or mouth by action of the diaphragm, to breathe out.
• verbosityThe excess use of words, especially using more than are needed for clarity or precision.
• obeliskA tall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped with a pyramidal point, frequently used as a monument.
• apparitionAn act of becoming visible; appearance; visibility.
• fortificationThe act of fortifying; the art or science of fortifying places to strengthen defence against an enemy.
• titularOf, relating to, being, derived from, or having a title.
• invisibilityThe state of being invisible.
• irregularityAn instance of being irregular.
• virilityThe state of being virile.
• hereticalOf or pertaining to heresy or heretics.
• esperanceExpectation, hope.
• sociableTending to socialize or be social.
• illusoryResulting from an illusion; deceptive, imaginary, unreal.
• quintAn interval of one fifth.
• flagrantObvious and offensive; blatant; scandalous.
• assassinateTo murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons.
• colletA band, flange, ferrule, or collar, designed to grip and hold a tool or a workpiece under proper control, and usually to release it under control thereafter; such a collet usually is made of a hard, springy material, especially a metal.
• laxativeHaving the effect of moving the bowels, or aiding digestion and preventing constipation.
• termineTo settle, determine.
• industriousHard-working and persistent.
• viceroyOne who governs a country, province, or colony as the representative of a monarch.
• rapierA slender, straight, sharply pointed sword (double-edged, single-edged or edgeless), designed predominantly for thrusting; used during the Renaissance period of Europe for civilian duelling
• discursiveTending to digress from the main point.
• manoeuvreCommonwealth standard spelling of maneuver.
• siphonA bent pipe or tube with one end lower than the other, in which hydrostatic pressure exerted due to the force of gravity moves liquid from one reservoir to another.
• elegyA mournful or plaintive poem; a funeral song; a poem of lamentation.
• chandleryThe art or trade of candlemaking.
• tauntTo make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.
• inflectionThe linguistic phenomenon of morphological variation, whereby words take a number of distinct forms in order to express different grammatical features.
• reverieA state of dreaming while awake; a loose or irregular train of thought; musing or meditation; daydream.
• repulsionThe act of repelling or the condition of being repelled.
• lenientLax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.
• umberA brown clay, somewhat darker than ochre, which contains iron and manganese oxides.
• finalityThe state of being final; the condition from which no further changes occur.
• palisadeA long, strong stake, one end of which is set firmly in the ground, and the other sharpened.
• utileUseful.
• malachiteA bright green mineral, a basic copper carbonate, Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂; one of the principal ores of copper.
• rampartA defensive mound of earth or a wall with a broad top and usually a stone parapet; a wall-like ridge of earth, stones or debris; an embankment for defensive purpose.
• possessiveOf or pertaining to ownership or possession.