Word:
posse
Pronunciation:
\PAH-see\
POS:
nouc
Meanings:
1 : a large group often with a common interest
2 : a body of persons summoned by a sheriff to assist in preserving the public peace usually in an emergency
3 : a group of people temporarily organized to make a search (as for a lost child)
4 : one’s attendants or associates
Example sentence:
"On the Saturday morning we used to watch anxiously for the usual signs of activity and when we saw a large barrel of beer being escorted up the streets by a
posse of small boys, we knew that all was well." (Edmund Barber, Country Life, October 12, 1951)
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Word:
palmary
Pronunciation:
\PAL-muh-ree\
POS:
adj
Meanings:
outstanding, best
Example sentence:
Louis Pasteur is best known for originating pasteurization, but he also made
palmary contributions in the field of immunology, including finding a vaccination for anthrax.
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Word:
facetious
Pronunciation:
\fuh-SEE-shuss\
POS:
adjective
Meanings:
1 : joking or jesting often inappropriately : waggish
2 : meant to be humorous or funny : not serious
Example sentence:
Gwen was being
facetious when she used the word "classy" to describe Bill's brightly colored necktie.
------
Word:
koine
Pronunciation:
\koy-NAY\
POS:
noun
Meanings:
1 : the Greek language commonly spoken and written in eastern Mediterranean countries in the Hellenistic and Roman periods
2 : a dialect or language of a region that has become the common or standard language of a larger area
Example sentence:
Koines inevitably developed in the early British colonies as different dialects converged.
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Word:
divulge
Pronunciation:
\duh-VULJ\
POS:
verb
Meanings:
to make known (as a confidence or secret)
Example sentence:
Sarah promised not to
divulge the news of her friend's promotion until it was official.
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Word:
hypocorism
Pronunciation:
\hye-PAH-kuh-riz-um\
POS:
noun
Meanings:
1 : a pet name
2 : the use of pet names
Example sentence:
Darren started calling Sheila by her
hypocorism, “Bubbles,” when they were juniors in high school.
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Word:
castigate
Pronunciation:
\KASS-tuh-gayt\
POS:
Verb
Meanings:
to subject to severe punishment, reproof, or criticism
Example sentence:
Before sentencing, the judge angrily castigated the two young defendants for their malicious act of vandalism.