word of the day

cogent: having the power to compel conviction;  

appealing to the mind or to reason; convincing

time lapse photography by michael wesely

KOH.juhnt

 one woman, adrian pomerantz, was so intelligent that the 

professors always lit up when adrian spoke; her eloquent, cogent  

analyses forced them not to be lazy, not to repeat themselves.

- meg wolitzer, surrender dorothy

word of the day

vulpine: cunning or crafty; of or resembling a fox.

 

VUHL.pahyn

his olive complexion surrounded a vulpine smile 

whenever he looked in the direction of the defendant.

- jeffrey r. ryan, a volcano heard afar

 

word of the day

eclat: showy or elaborate display; brilliance of success, reputation.

paintings by dextro

ey.KLAH

aimee's bistro combines Parisian eclat with  contemporary 

california beach chic in this well- established bistro.

- los angeles magazine, june, 2004

word of the day

ambisinister: clumsy or unskillful with both hands

illustrations by alexander ross

am.bi.SIN.uh.ster

ambisinister is a combination of the latin roots ambi-, "both," and sinister, "to the left side."

 

word of the day

totemic: relating to a representation of such an object  

serving as the distinctive mark of the clan or group

toh.TEM.ik

a convict's personal possessions - few in number, weighted with 
significance-took on a totemic quality, and doug had, over time, winnowed  
his meaningful totems down to exactly one.

- chuck hogan, prince of thieves, a novel

word of the day

cacoethes: an irresistible urge; mania

kak.oh.EE.theez

A cacoethes for travel seemed suddenly to have possessed the old 

gentleman,  and an airy allusion to damascus had struck her dumb.

- leonard merrick, the worldlings

 photo by hari-sulistiawan

word of the day

jobbery: the conduct of public or official business for the sake of improper private gain

JOB.uh.ree

jobbery  combines the sense of job and robbery and reflects the historically negative  

connotation of job, whose definition may derive from gob, as in "a mass or lump."

word of the day

concupiscible: worthy of being desired

hyperrealist sculptures by ron mueck

kon.KYOO.pi.suh.buhl.

 the serpent is the senses and our nature, the eve is the 
concupiscible appetite, and the adam is the reason.
- blaise pascal

word of the day

klatsch: a casual gathering of people, esp. for refreshments and informal conversation
 

photographs by clark little

KLAHCH.

klatsch  comes from the german word for "gossip"