Word of the Day 2009

For Christmas last year, I was given a 2009 "Word of the Day" calendar. Here are the ones I saved. The words I loved, the ones I want to use, the brilliant fibers that I wish to weave into narratives and conversations that will only benefit from their effervescent presence.

Wednesday, December 30
coup de grace
(n.) A deathblow or death shot administered to end the suffering of one mortally wounded; a decisive finishing blow, act, or event

Wednesday, October 14
fulcrum
(n.) the support about which a lever turns; the one that supplies capability for action

Tuesday, October 6
multifarious
(adj) having or occurring in great variety; diverse

Saturday, September 19
fruition
(n.) the pleasurable use or possession; enjoyment; the state of bearing fruit; a realization or accomplishment

Wednesday, August 19
omphalos
(n.) a central point; hub or focal point

Tuesday, August 11
avoirdupois
(n.) weight or heaviness; especially personal weight

Wednesday, July 22
kangaroo court
(n.) a court or an illegal self-appointed tribunal characterized by irresponsible, perverted, or irregular procedures

Monday, June 22
rhadamanthine
(adj.) rigorously strict or just

Sunday, June 14
confrere
(n.) a colleague or comrade

Sunday, November 15
divagate
(v.) to wander or stray from a course or subject; diverge or digress

Thursday, September 10
syncretism
(n.) the combination of different forms of belief or practice; the fusions of two or more originally different inflectional forms

Friday, December 18
nimiety
(n.) excess or redundancy

Thursday, November 12
sprachgefuhl
(n.) an intuitive sense of what is linguistically appropriate