Lexicon
By request: a compilation of the words I use.Archive for October, 2009
Vet
Vet
Verb (transitive): make a careful and critical examination of (something); (often be vetted) British, investigate (someone) thoroughly, especially in order to insure that they are suitable for a job requiring security, loyalty or trustworthiness.
Vet describes the process most people indicate when they say they are double checking something. For example, if you are writing a paper or an essay or an article, you may vet your sources by checking to make sure they are reputable and have the qualifications to make the assertions they make. The word can also be applied to a person. Say that you are being considered for a job or a club, the organization you want to join may go through a vetting process where they check your qualifications against those of the position you would like to attain. Vet has slightly academic ring to it, but I like it for its precision in describing the process of critically evaluating something or someone.
For a conversation about words, usage and etymology follow this link to a conversation with ‘the word guru.’
Bucolic
Bucolic
Adjective: of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.
Bucolic comes to you by the suggestion of a reader, and a good word it is. It brings to mind other related words like rustic, which refers to the simple charms of the countryside. Another word, pastoral, brings to mind images of the landscape where sheep or cattle are raised. Sylvan, mainly poetic or literary, refers to things associated with the woods. All these words evoke different aspects of the countryside or the rural landscape. In an increasingly urban world it’s good to be reminded of the many and varied aspects of the country around us.
Risible
Risible
Adjective: such as to provoke laughter; (rare, of a person) having the faculty or power of laughing, inclined to laugh.
Risible is a recent addition to my vocabulary, thus I don’t know it shades of meaning and usage. I do, however, like having another way to say that something is amusing or comical or funny. In other words, risible.
Nascent
Nascent
Adjective: (especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential.
Perhaps nascent isn’t exactly the right word for the fiftieth post here, yet it’s a good word none the less. This word has connotations not only of something starting, but also that it has the promise of developing into something more. The term doesn’t have the neutral to negative connotation of words like fledgling. Something nascent is budding, like a leaf or a flower.
Prescient
Prescient
Adjective: Having or showing knowledge of events before they take place.
Prescient is another way of saying someone or something is farsighted or clairvoyant or prophetic, though it doesn’t have the religious overtones of the latter term. The term could be applied to a person, but it is more often associated with an idea or something like an essay, a book or an article that contains ideas or thoughts that seem predictive of the current condition or of a future condition. It seems to me that a prescient thought every now and again might make life a little easier.
Verdant
Verdant
Adjective: (of countryside) green with grass or other rich vegetation; of the bright green color of lush grass.
It seems odd to write about the green of grass as the world is respendent in a motley display of autumnal color, yet here I go. Verdant brings to my mind images of green rolling hills, corn fields at the end of July, the lush wall of vegetation at the line where a tropical beach and forest meet. Sure a valley can be green and lush, but the term verdant makes the same valley seem richer and greener. The word should sound familiar to anyone who knows any of the romance languages as the word can be traced to the Latin viridis ‘green.’
Haptic
Haptic
Adjective (technical): of or relating to the sense of touch, in particular relating to the perception and manipulation of objects using the sense of touch and proprioception.
I have only heard this word i referring to a type of learner who learns by doing. Haptic is not a word that you’ll use every day or year for that matter, but when it comes up you will know what it means. So the next time you flip a coin, shuffle cards, throw a pot or knead bread, enjoy your haptic experience.
Post Script: I had to look up proprioception. It is a great word if you have a penchant for psychology.
Alacrity
Alacrity
Noun: brisk and cheerful readiness.
Alacrity seems to have slipped out of contemporary use, but read a work of literature from the 19th century and this word pops up left and right. I like this word’s connotation of sunny willingness to jump into an activity at the drop of a hat. Think of those people who seem pleased to help with any project, who are eager to show up at any event at a moments notice; they probably have alacrity.
Panache
Panache
Noun: flamboyant confidence of style or manner; (historical) a tuft or plume of feathers, especially as a headdress or a helmet.
Sometimes you can’t help but watch someone perform a task. Perhaps it is a dancer leaping across the stage, or a pianist’s fingers floating across the keys or a cook at a pizzeria tossing a pizza crust in the air. When you can’t help but watch someone do something, they just might have panache.
Foist
Foist
Verb (transitive): impose an unwelcome or unnecessary person or thing on; (foist someone/something into) introduce someone or something surreptitiously or unwarrantably into.
Continuing with another word starting with the letter f. Foist is one of my favorite verbs as of late. You might use foist when someone tries to sneak something by you, as in an automobile mechanic trying to foist aftermarket parts on a repair when you wanted to use new. The second definiton implies a try at getting someting into a group that it doesn’t belong in. For example someone might try to foist a new member into a super secret society who hasn’t proven his or her merrit and mettle.
