*Word of the Day*

Accentuate– To give prominence to; emphasize or intensify.

[Part of speech- Verb]

“Shadows lay over his face and accentuated the lines of his cheek and jaw.”

~Chaim Potok

*Word of the Day*

Alliteration-- Repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginnings of words.

[Noun– part of speech]

In the poem “Acquainted with the Night,” Robert Frost shows an eloquent use of alliteration with the lines “I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet.”

*Word of the Day*

Analogy– Similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise unlike.

[Noun part of speech]

"Memory is to love what the saucer is to the cup,” is a beautiful analogy from Elizabeth Bowen’s The House in Paris.

*Word of the Day*Antibody-- A protein produced in the

blood or tissues in response to the presence of a specific toxic, foreign blood cell, or other antigen.

[Part of speech- Noun]

Antibodies protect us from disease.

*Word of the Day*Aspire- To have great ambition.

[Part of speech– Verb]

Ed aspired to be a mortician.

*Word of the Day*Bamboozle-To trick or deceive.

[Part of speech- Verb]

The con artist bamboozled the old lady.

*Word of the Day*Bizarre-- Unconventional or odd.

[Part of speech– Adjective]

The book had a bizarre twist in the final chapter.

*Word of the Day*Boisterous- Noisy, loud, wild.

[Part of speech- Adjective]

The boisterous sounds from the cafeteria gave the teachers indigestion.

*Word of the Day*Boycott- Avoid, reject.[Part of speech- Verb]The Olympic Games were boycotted by 62

nations in 1980.

Boycott- A protest or ban.[Part of speech- Noun]In 1980, there was a boycott of the Olympic

Games.

*Word of the Day*Camouflage– Cloak, conceal, disguise.[Part of speech- Verb]The lizard camouflaged itself into the

bush.

Camouflage-[Part of speech- Noun] Protective covering or disguise.The soldiers wear camouflage in

battle.

*Word of the Day*Chronology – The arrangement of

events in time.

[Part of speech– Noun]

The history teacher gave the class a chronology of the Vietnam War.

*Word of the Day*Commemorate-- to honor the memory

of.

[Part of speech– Verb]

We will commemorate the Martin Luther King’s birthday in January.

*Word of the Day*

Cower-- to crouch back in fear.

[Part of speech– Verb]

I cower when I see a soccer ball flying towards my face.

*Word of the Day*Decorum-- proper behavior or conduct.

[Part of speech– Noun]

She displayed proper decorum at the funeral.

*Word of the Day*Deduction– The act of subtracting.

[Part of speech– Noun]

Jose’s mother made a deduction from his allowance to pay for the broken lamp.

*Word of the Day*Deign-- to be willing to do something

that one considers beneath one's dignity.

[Part of speech– Verb]

Prince William deigned to attend the wrestling match.

*Word of the Day*Despondent– Feeling discouraged or

depressed.Part of speech– Adjective

Chicago Bears fans were despondent after their team was trounced by the New England Patriots.

*Word of the Day*Divulge– To reveal or make public.

Part of speech– Verb

A good friend will not divulge a secret.

*Word of the Day*Eclectic-- Choosing elements from

various sources.

Part of speech– Adjective

The playlists on her I-Pod revealed an eclectic blend of genres including jazz, heavy metal, hip-hop, and classical.

*Word of the Day*Ellipse- A figure that forms a closed

curve shaped like an oval with both ends alike.

Part of speech– Noun

The clouds formed the shape of an ellipse as they moved across the horizon.

*Word of the Day*Embargo- A government order

prohibiting merchant ships from entering or leaving its ports.

Part of speech- Noun

There is an embargo on goods shipped in and out of North Korea.

*Word of the Day*Enthusiastic- To have great or lively

interest.

Part of speech- Adjective

Yvette’s voice was enthusiastic as she described her trip to New York.

*Word of the Day*Exponent- A number right of and

above a number, symbol, or expression indicating that it is to be raised to that power.

Part of speech- Noun

An exponent requires When I see the exponent 3 next to the number 3, I have to multiply 3 x 3 x 3, which equals 27.

*Word of the Day*Exult- To rejoice greatly as in triumph.

Part of speech– Verb

Teachers will exult when all of our brilliant students pass the writing test.

*Word of the Day*Fallacy- A false idea or notion.

Part of speech– Noun

A good essay should not be based on a fallacy.

*Word of the Day*Flourish- To grow well; thrive.

Part of speech– Verb

The children flourished under the care of their grandparents.

*Word of the Day*Formidable – A person or thing that

arouses fear or dread.

Part of speech– adjective

Sugar Ray Leonard was a formidable opponent.

*Word of the Day*Gargoyle– A figure with grotesque

features in the form of man or animal.

Part of speech-- Noun

The gargoyle jutted from the eves of the cathedral.

*Word of the Day*Guerilla-- a member of a band of irregular soldiers that uses guerrilla warfare, harassing the enemy by surprise raids, sabotaging communication and supply lines, etc.

Part of speech– noun

The guerilla fighter hid in the mountains until darkness cloaked the village.

*Word of the Day*Guru – Any revered teacher or

mentor.

Part of speech– noun

Jeff’s father was considered a mountain climbing guru.

*Word of the Day*Heritage – Something passed down from preceding generations.

Part of speech– noun

Tony was proud of his Native American heritage.

*Word of the Day*Hieroglyph -- A picture or symbol in ancient Egyptian writing using pictures and symbols.

Part of speech – Noun

The tourists were anxious to see the hieroglyphs etched into the cave wall.

*Word of the Day*Hologram – The photographic record of an image produced by holography. (Look it up.)

Part of speech – Noun

The hologram was projected onto the stage.

*Word of the Day*Hypocrisy-- The practice of saying one

thing and meaning another.Part of speech– Noun

~The sad clown showed his hypocrisy during the circus performance.

~My dad told me of the hypocrisy found in politics.

*Word of the Day*Immune -- Exempt or resistant.

Part of speech – Adjective

She was not sleeping well, so her immune system was not working well.

*Word of the Day*Impertinent – Intrusive and rude.

Part of speech – Adjective

The young man’s comments to the principal were loud and impertinent.

*Word of the Day*Inference – A conclusion based on reasoning.

Part of speech – Noun (Abstract)

While reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the students made an inference about Lt. Kotler and Bruno’s mother.

*Word of the Day*Introspection – The act of looking within oneself.

Part of speech – Noun (Abstract)

Some people are more prone to introspection than others.

*Word of the Day*Jaunty – Having or showing a carefree,

self-confident air; stylish or smart in appearance.

Part of speech – Adjective

Ed wore a jaunty that reflected his individual style.

*Word of the Day*Jovial – Full of fun and good cheer.

Part of speech – Adjective

Her raucous laughter was evidence of the girl’s jovial nature.