Titivate

Thursday 8^th September 2016

Titivate /ˈtɪtɪˌveɪt/

Verb

1. to smarten up (oneself or another), as by making up, doing the hair,etc

2. (transitive) to smarten up (a thing): to titivate a restaurant

Derived Forms

titivation, tittivation, Noun 
titivator, tittivator, Noun

Quote

Clodagh had brought a clothes rail and hangers up from the shop. It meant that

Eve's bed wouldn't be swamped with people's garments and there would be room

for the girls to sit at the little dressing table to titivate themselves.

Maeve Binchy, Circle of Friends, 1990

Origin

Titivate entered English in the early 1800’s when it was sometimes spelled

tidivate, which, in turn, is thought to be blend of tidy and elevate, literally

meaning "tidy up."

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Ethereal

Wednesday 7^th September 2016

Ethereal /ɪˈθɪərɪəl/

Adjective

1. extremely delicate or refined; exquisite

2. almost as light as air; impalpable; airy

3. celestial or spiritual

4. of, containing, or dissolved in an ether, esp diethyl ether: an ethereal solution

5. of or relating to the ether

Derived Forms

ethereality, etherealness, Noun
ethereally, Adverb

Quote

The expressions on the faces shifted from suspicious to ethereal.

From a Polish Country House Kitchen ... To Your Kitchen David Frum 3 December 2012

Word Origin and History

adj.

1510's, "of the highest regions of the atmosphere," from ether + -al;

extended sense of "light, airy" is from 1590’s. Meaning "spirit like, immaterial" is from 1640’s. Related: Ethereally.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Pensive

Tuesday 6^th September 2016

Pensive /ˈpɛnsɪv/

Adjective

1. deeply or seriously thoughtful, often with a tinge of sadness

2. expressing or suggesting pensiveness

Derived Forms

pensively, Adverb 
pensiveness, Noun

Quote

Meehan is pensive and troubled, his marriage and career in crisis.

Reading the Detective David Goodwillie - 8 June 2011

Word Origin and History

adj.

Late 14c., from Old French pensif "thoughtful, distracted, musing" (11c.),

from penser "to think," from Latin pensare "weigh, consider," frequentative

of pendere "weigh". Related: Pensively ; pensiveness.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Vague

Monday 5^th September 2016

Vague /veɪɡ/

Adjective

1. (of statements, meaning, etc) not explicit; imprecise: vague promises

2. not clearly perceptible or discernible; indistinct: a vague idea, a vague

shape

3. not clearly or definitely established or known: a vague rumour

4. (of a person or his expression) demonstrating lack of precision or clear

thinking; absent-minded

Derived Forms

vaguely, Adverb 
vagueness, Noun

Quote

To my eyes, it is a vague road map to the distant contours of his giant

fraud, a blind man's guide to feeling the elephant.

Ruth’s Secret Stash Allan Dodds Frank – 14 March 2009

Word Origin and History

adj.

1540’s - from Middle French vague, from Latin vagus "wandering, rambling,

vacillating, vague," of unknown origin. Related: Vagueness.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Insane

Friday 2^nd September 2016

Insane /ɪnˈseɪn/

Adjective

1. (a) mentally deranged; crazy; of unsound mind

   (b) (as collective noun; preceded by the): the insane

2. characteristic of a person of unsound mind: an insane stare

3. irresponsible; very foolish; stupid

Derived Forms

insanely, adverb 
insaneness, noun

Quote

He presumed to place me under restraint in his own house in hopes of either

driving me insane or poisoning me.

‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show

Robert W. Chambers 19 February 2014

Word Origin and History

1550’s - of persons, "mentally damaged," from Latin insanus "mad, insane, of unsound mind; outrageous, excessive, extravagant," from in- "not" + sanus "well, healthy, sane".

In reference to actions, "irrational, evidencing madness," from 1842 in English.

The noun meaning "insane person" is attested from 1786.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Ad Hoc

Thursday 1^st September 2016

Ad hoc /æd ˈhɒk/

Adjective, adverb

1. for a particular purpose only; lacking generality or justification: an ad

hoc decision, an ad hoc committee

Quote

Haitian neighbors helping one another carried out the vast majority of

rescues, ad hoc.

What Haiti Can Teach Us About The storm Jonathan M. Katz 29 October 2012 

Origin

Latin, literally: to this

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com