The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate (7 page)

blatherskite
(BLA
TH
-
e
r-
SK
I
T
)
noun

1. a person given to blathering.

2. blather; nonsense.

blench
(blench)
verb

1. draw back or flinch from; quail.

2. turn pale.

Related words:
blencher
noun
,
blenchingly
adverb
.

blithe
(bl
I
th
)
adjective

1. merry, joyous, cheerful.

2. carefree, heedless; without thought or regard.

Related words:
blitheful
adjective
,
blithefully
and
blithely
both adverbs
,
blitheness
noun
.

blithesome
(BL
I
TH
-s
e
m)
adjective

cheery.

Related words:
blithesomely
adverb
,
blithesomeness
noun
.

bloc
(blok)
noun

a group of persons, legislators, nations etc. united for a purpose.

Do not confuse
bloc
with
block
, which has many meanings, but not that of
bloc
.

bolus
(BOH-l
e
s)
noun, plural
boluses

1. a large medicinal pill.

2. a roundish mass, especially a mass of chewed food.

boniface
(BON-
e
-
FAYS
)
noun

an innkeeper or hotelkeeper.

bootless
(BOOT-lis)
adjective

1. unavailing, useless.

2. without result or gain.

Related words:
bootlessly
adverb
,
bootlessness
noun
.

boscage
(BOS-kij)
noun
, also given as
boskage

1. a mass of trees or shrubs.

2. sylvan scenery.

bosomy
(BUUZ-
e
-mee)
adjective

of a woman, having a prominent bosom.

bourse
(boors)
noun

a stock exchange, especially one located in France and certain other European countries.

bowdlerize
(BOHD-l
e
-
R
I
Z
)
verb

remove passages considered objectionable or vulgar from (a book etc.); expurgate.

Related words:
bowdlerism
(BOHD-l
e
r-iz-
e
m),
bowdlerization
(
BOHD
-l
e
r-i-ZAY-sh
e
n), and
bowdlerizer
(BOHD-l
e
r-
I
Z
-
e
r)
all nouns
.

brachylogy
(br
e
-KIL-
e
-jee)
noun, plural
brachylogies

1. conciseness or overconciseness of expression.

2. a concise or succinct expression.

braggadocio
(
BRAG
-
e
-DOH-shee-oh)
noun, plural
braggadocios

1. bragging, empty boasting.

2. a braggart, a boasting person.

Related word:
braggadocian
(
BRAG
-
e
-DOH-shee-
e
n)
adjective
.

bravura
(br
e
-VYUUR-
e
)
noun, plural
bravuras

1. a brilliant performance.

2. a display of daring, especially in music.

3. a florid passage or piece requiring great skill to perform.

Related word:
bravura
adjective
.

brigand
(BRIG-
e
nd)
noun

1. a member of a band of robbers living in forest or mountain regions.

2. a bandit.

Related words:
brigandage
(BRIG-
e
n-dij)
noun
,
brigandish
adjective
,
brigandishly
adverb
.

broach
(brohch)
verb

1. mention or suggest (a topic) for the first time.

2. begin drawing (beer, whiskey, etc.) as by tapping a keg or cask.

Related word:
broacher
noun
.

bromide
(BROH-m
I
d)
noun

1. a platitude or trite remark.

2. a person who is unfailingly boring.

Related word:
bromidic
(broh-MID-ik)
adjective
.

brummagem
(BRUM-
e
-j
e
m)
adjective

1. cheap and showy but inferior and worthless.

2. (
noun
) a showy but inferior thing.

brusque
(brusk)
adjective

1. blunt, offhand.

2. abrupt in manner.

Related words:
brusquely
adverb
,
brusqueness
noun
.

buccal
(BUK-
e
l)
adjective

of or pertaining to the cheek; of or in the mouth.

Related word:
buccally
adverb
.

bucolic
(byoo-KOL-ik)
adjective
, also given as
bucolical

1. rustic, rural.

2. of or pertaining to shepherds, pastoral.

Related word:
bucolically
adverb
.

bugaboo
(BUG-
e
-
BOO
) and
bugbear
(BUG-
BAIR
)
both nouns

1. something that causes baseless fear or worry.

2. a false belief used to intimidate or dissuade.

bulimia
(byoo-LIM-ee-
e
)
noun

an unnaturally persistent hunger or voracious appetite.

See
anorexia nervosa
.

Related word:
bulimic
(byoo-LIM-ik)
adjective
.

bulwark
(BUUL-w
e
rk)
noun

1. a wall of earth or other material built for defense, rampart, fortification.

2. a protection against external danger or injury.

3. a person or principle that acts as a defense.

Related word:
bulwark
verb
.

bumptious
(BUMP-sh
e
s)
adjective

offensively conceited or self-assertive; pushy.

Related words:
bumptiously
adverb
,
bumptiousness
noun
.

burble
(BUR-b
e
l)
verb

1. speak at length; babble.

2. make a bubbling sound.

Related word:
burbler
noun
.

burgeon
(BUR-j
e
n)
verb

grow or develop rapidly; flourish.

burnish
(BUR-nish)
verb

1. polish by rubbing

2. brighten; cause to glow.

bushido
(BOO-shee-
DAW
)
noun

in feudal Japan, the ethical code of the samurai.

Byzantine
(BIZ-
e
n-
TEEN
)
adjective

1. complex or intricate.

2. underhanded.

3. characterized by complicated scheming and intrigue.

cabotage
(
KAB
-
e
-TAHZH)
noun

1. coastal trade or navigation.

2. legal restriction of air traffic within a country's borders.

cachet
(ka-SHAY)
noun, plural
cachets
(ka-SHAYZ)

1. prestige, superior status.

2. a sign of approval, especially one given by a person who is highly regarded.

3. an official seal, as on a document.

cachexia
(k
e
-KEK-see-
e
)
noun

general ill health causing chronic debility.

Related word:
cachectic
(k
e
-KEK-tik),
cachectical
, and
cachexic
(k
e
-KEK-sik)
all adjectives
.

cachinnate
(KAK-
e
-
NAYT
)
verb

laugh loudly or immoderately.

Related words:
cachinnation
and
cachinnator
both nouns
,
cachinnatory
(KAK-
e
-n
e
-
TOR
-ee)
adjective
.

cacodemon
(
KAK
-
e
-DEE-m
e
n)
noun

an evil spirit or person.

Related words:
cacodemonic
(
KAK
-
e
-di-MON-ik) and
cacodemoniac
(
KAK
-
e
-di-MOH-nee-
AK
)
both adjectives
.

cacography
(k
e
-KOG-r
e
-fee)
noun

1. bad handwriting.

2. incorrect spelling.

Related words:
cacographer
noun
,
cacographic
(
KAK
-
e
-GRAF-ik) and
cacographical
both adjectives
.

cacology
(k
e
-KOL-
e
-jee)
noun

1. bad choice of words.

2. poor pronunciation.

cairn
(kairn)
noun

a heap of stones arranged as a memorial or as a landmark.

Related words:
cairned
and
cairny
both adjectives
.

callipygian
(
KAL
-i-PIJ-ee-
e
n)
adjective
, also given as
callipygous
(
KAL
-i-P
I
-g
e
s)

having shapely buttocks.

callosity
(k
e
-LOS-i-tee)
noun, plural
callosities

an abnormal hardness and thickness of the skin; a callus.

callous
(KAL-
e
s)
adjective

1. insensitive, unsympathetic, indifferent.

2. hardened, hard.

In rigorous adherence to the principle of descriptiveness, most conventional dictionaries have become guilty of attempted verbicide by indicating that
callus
(which see) is a noun meaning of
callous
, an adjective. In time, therefore, we can expect that most writers will be ignorant of the clear distinction between the two words that is maintained today by careful writers. Consider that until recently dictionaries identified this noun use of
callous
as a mistake in spelling, and that is how editors and writers should continue to regard it. Avoid
calluses
by learning how to type properly, not by
callous
disregard of good typing techniques.

Related words:
callously
adverb
,
callousness
noun
.

callus
(KAL-
e
s)
noun, plural
calluses

1. a thickened part of the skin; a callosity.

2. (
verb
) form or produce a callus.

See the discussion at
callous
for guidance in differentiating the noun
callus
and the adjective
callous
.

calumniate
(k
e
-LUM-nee-
AYT
)
verb

make false and malicious statements about; slander, traduce.

Related words:
calumniation
(k
e
-
LUM
-nee-AY-sh
e
n) and
calumniator
(k
e
-LUM-nee-
AY
-t
e
r)
both nouns
.

calumny
(KAL-
e
m-nee)
noun, plural
calumnies

1. a slander; a defamation.

2. the act of slandering.

Related words:
calumniate
(k
e
-LUM-nee-
AYT
)
verb
,
calumniation
(k
e
-
LUM
-nee-AY-sh
e
n) and
calumniator
(k
e
-LUM-nee-
AY
-t
e
r)
both nouns
,
calumnious
(k
e
-LUM-nee-
e
s) and
calumniatory
(k
e
-LUM-nee-
e
-
TOR
-ee)
both adjectives
.

canard
(k
e
-NAHRD)
noun

a false report; a hoax.

cant
(kant)
noun

1. insincere use of words, especially conventional expressions of piety.

2. hypocrisy.

3. (
derogatory
) the language peculiar to a party, class, profession, or the like; jargon.

4. the private language of the underworld.

capricious
(k
e
-PRISH-
e
s)
adjective

1. subject to or indicative of whim.

2. erratic.

Related words:
capriciously
adverb
,
caprice
(k
e
-PREES) and
capriciousness
both nouns
.

captious
(KAP-sh
e
s)
adjective

1. apt to raise objections to trivial faults or defects.

2. difficult to please.

Related words:
captiously
adverb
,
captiousness
noun
.

carabao
(
KAR
-
e
-BAH-oh)
noun, plural
carabaos

in the Philippines, the water buffalo.

The noun
carabao
is often mispronounced by people who confuse it with the more familiar noun
caribou
, the magnificent North American deer, which is pronounced KAR-
e
-
BOO
.

careen
(k
e
-REEN)
verb

said of a vehicle in motion: lean, sway, or tip to one side.

Many speakers and writers confuse the verb
career
, meaning
proceed at full speed
, with the verb
careen
. So prevalent is this confusion that modern dictionaries commonly identify the two verbs as synonyms, thus shrinking the scope of the American language and inviting ambiguity. Fully trained editors do not encourage this confusion. Nor should you.

Related word:
careener
verb
.

career
(k
e
-REER)
verb

See
careen
.

caribou
(KAR-
e
-
BOO
)
noun

See
carabao
.

carminative
(kahr-MIN-
e
-tiv)
noun

a drug curing flatulence.

Related word:
carminative
adjective
, as in “Some
carminative
compounds may be purchased over the counter.”

caseous
(KAY-see-
e
s)
adjective

of or like cheese.

Cassandra
(k
e
-SAN-dr
e
)
noun

a person who prophesies or warns of approaching evil and is usually disregarded. In classical mythology a prophet cursed by Apollo so her prophecies, though true, were fated never to be believed.

castigate
(KAS-ti-
GAYT
)
verb

reprimand severely, chastise, punish.