Pother

Pother [PAH-thər]


Part of speech: noun
Origin: Unknown, late 16th century


1. A commotion or fuss.


Examples of pother in a sentence


“Andrew does his grocery shopping when the stores open to avoid the pother of rush-hour shoppers.”


“Despite the different ages of the campers, it was a relaxing week with no pother to speak of.”

Enjambment

Enjambment [en-JAM-mənt]


Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 19th century


1. (In verse) The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.


Examples of enjambment in a sentence


“The technique of enjambment can make reading poetry tricky, as it’s natural to want to pause at the end of the line instead of reading it through.”


“Poets toying with enjambment were responsible for some of the 20th century’s most interesting poems, such as T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land.””

Zenzic

Zenzic [ZEN-zik]


Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 16th century


1. Relating to the square of a number.


Examples of zenzic in a sentence


“We expected maybe 20 people at the party but were overwhelmed when it seemed like a zenzic number of guests showed up.”


“Since there are 12 reports to compile each month, the total number of reports in a year is the zenzic of 12.”

Tourbillon

Tourbillon [TOOR-bil-yən]


Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 15th century


1. Any part of a machine with a spiral movement.
2. A whirlwind.


Examples of tourbillon in a sentence


“This antique watch has a tourbillon that prevents gravity from throwing off its timing.”


“Watches featuring tourbillon movements can easily cost more than $10,000.”

Abditive

Abditive [AB-dih-tiv]


Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 18th century


1. Capable of hiding or concealing.


Examples of abditive in a sentence


“The babysitter found the toddler under the abditive tablecloth during the game of hide-and-seek.”


“The decorative screen serves an abditive function to block off the messy parts of our living room.”

Palfrey

Palfrey [PAWL-free]


Part of speech: noun
Origin: Anglo-Norman, 13th century


1. A docile horse used for ordinary riding.


Examples of palfrey in a sentence


“For my first riding experience, I steered clear of the jumpy-looking horses and chose a palfrey.”


“My grandfather kept a stable of palfreys, and my cousins offered guided trail rides to tourists.”

Guerdon

Guerdon [GUR-dn]


Part of speech: noun
Origin: Old French, 15th century


1. A reward or recompense.


Examples of guerdon in a sentence


“As a guerdon for his excellent grades, my brother got to go to Six Flags.”


“Doris Lessing received the 2007 Nobel Prize in literature as a guerdon for her body of novels exploring the human experience.”

Nugacity

Nugacity [noo-GAS-ih-tee]


Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 16th century


1. Triviality or frivolity.
2. A trivial or frivolous thing or idea.


Examples of nugacity in a sentence


“It may be a nugacity, but I enjoy buying flowers for myself every week.”


“If you’re struggling with your budget, review your expenses to find any nugacities you can cut.”

Rede

Rede [reed]


Part of speech: verb
Origin: Old English, 13th century


1. Advise (someone).
2. Interpret (a riddle or dream).


Examples of rede in a sentence


“The commencement speaker closed his speech with the final piece of advice, “I rede you to use your knowledge to always inspire others.””


“I try to write down my dreams as soon as I wake up so that I can rede them later.”

Argle-Bargle

Argle-Bargle [ahr-gəl-BAHR-gəl]


Part of speech: noun
Origin: Scots, 19th century


1. Copious but meaningless talk or writing; nonsense.


Examples of argle-bargle in a sentence


“The instructions for setting up my home-theater system are 48 pages of argle-bargle.”


“When I’m nervous, I talk constantly, but it’s all argle-bargle.”