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adjective gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible. of, pertaining to, dealing with, or representing death, especially its grimmer or uglier aspect. of or suggestive of the allegorical dance of death.
Macabre | Define Macabre at Dictionary
Dogma | Define Dogma at Dictionary
Origin: 1590–1600; < Latin < Greek, equivalent to dok ( eîn ) to seem, think, seem good + -ma noun suffix Word story At the turn of the 17th century, dogma entered English from the Latin term meaning “philosophical tenet.” The Greek word from which it is borrowed means “that which one thinks is true,” and comes ultimately from the Greek dokein which means “to seem good” or “think.” The origin of the word dogma acts as a reminder to English speakers that now-established principals and doctrines were once simply thoughts and opinions of ordinary people that gained popularity and eventually found their way into the universal consciousness of society. 20th century American academic and aphorist Mason Cooley concisely observed that “Under attack, sentiments harden into dogma,” suggesting that dogma is spawned as a defensive act. This idea implies that for every dogma that exists, there is a counter dogma.Word Origin & History temerity early 15c., from M.Fr. témérité (15c.), from L. temeritatem (nom. temeritas) "blind chance, accident, rashness," from temere "by chance, blindly, casually, rashly," related to tenebrae "darkness," from PIE base *temes- "dark" (cf.
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Pidgin
Not to be confused with the Pigeon bird. For the instant messaging client, see Pidgin (software) . A pidgin ( pron.: / ˈ p ɪ dʒ ɨ n / ), or pidgin language , is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common.adjective disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved. reluctant or restrained. Origin: 1825–35; < Latin reticent- (stem of reticēns ), present participle of reticēre to be silent, equivalent to re- re- + -tic-, combining form of tacēre to be silent (cf. tacit ) + -ent- -ent
reticent | Define reticent at Dictionary
Word Origin & History halcyon 1545, in halcyon dayes (L. alcyonei dies, Gk. alkyonides hemerai), 14 days of calm weather at the winter solstice, when a mythical bird (identified with the kingfisher) was said to breed in a nest floating on calm seas. From halcyon (n.), 1390, from L. halcyon, from Gk. halkyon, variant (perhaps a misspelling)
Halcyon | Define Halcyon at Dictionary
adjective (of speech, writing, etc.) high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious. Also, bom·bas·ti·cal.
Bombastic | Define Bombastic at Dictionary
Flotsam | Define Flotsam at Dictionary
Word Origin & History flotsam c.1600, from Anglo-Fr. floteson, from O.Fr. flotaison "a floating," from floter "to float" (of Gmc. origin) + -aison, from L. -ation(em).
adjective not regulated by law; lawless: Anarchic bands pillaged the countryside. Also, an·ar·chi·cal. Related forms an·ar·chi·cal·ly, adverb
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Litigious | Define Litigious at Dictionary
adjective excessively or readily inclined to litigate: a litigious person. inclined to dispute or disagree; argumentative. Origin: 1350–1400; Middle English < Latin lītigiōsus contentious, equivalent to lītigi ( um ) a quarrel (see litigant , -ium ) + -ōsus -ous Related forms
Erroneous | Define Erroneous at Dictionary
adjective containing error ; mistaken; incorrect; wrong: an erroneous answer. straying from what is moral, decent, proper, etc. Origin: 1350–1400; Middle English < Latin errōneus straying, equivalent to errōn- (stem of errō ) wanderer (derivative of err-; see err ) + -eus -eous Related forms er·ro·ne·ous·ly, adverbWord Origin & History idiom 1588, "form of speech peculiar to a people or place," from M.Fr. idiome, from L.L. idioma "a peculiarity in language," from Gk. idioma "peculiarity, peculiar phraseology," from idioumai "I make my own," from idios "personal, private," prop. particular to oneself, from PIE *swed-yo-, suffixed form of
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Avant-garde | Define Avant-garde at Dictionary
noun the advance group in any field, especially in the visual, literary, or musical arts, whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods. adjective of or pertaining to the experimental treatment of artistic, musical, or literary material. belonging to the avant-garde: an avant-garde composer.Word Origin & History quibble 1611, "a pun, a play on words," probably a dim. of quib "evasion of point at issue" (c.1550), from L. quibus "by what (things)?," dative and ablative plural of quid "what," neut. of quis (see who ). The word's overuse in legal jargon supposedly gave it the association with trivial argument.