Word of the Day
Whirligig
/wer-lih-gig/ (noun)
Definition: a whirligig or circling course.
Example: Small black beetle that swims rapidly in a circle on the surface.
Sentence: I passed through a bucket full of water and I saw a whirligig spinning at the surface of the
water.
Coruscate
/KOR-un-skayt/ (verb)
Definition : to give of f or reflect light in bright beams or flashes : sparkle
Example: The astronomy students observed the stars coruscate through a high powered telescope.
Sentence: The snows in the sidewalk coruscate when the sun hits it.
Contumacious
/kahh-too-MAY-shus/ (adjective)
Definition: stubbornly disobedient, rebellious.
Example: “She sat still looking a little contumacious and very much indisposed to stir.”
Sentence: Her parents told her to stay home while they’re away, but she went to a party with her
friends. After the party she went back home with contumacious feeling and found her parent waiting for
her.
Megrim
/MEE-grim/ (noun)
Definition: Low-spirit
Example: Cathy’s friends tried to convince her that going to a movie would help to alleviate her megrims
but she wasn’t buying it.
Sentence: I tried to convince my friend to join volleyball to help her to alleviate her megrims but she
wasn’t buying it.
Wardrobe
/wor-drob/ (noun)
Definition: a collection of wearing apparel (as of one person or one activity)
Example: Over years, Sandra has managed to acquire a large and varied wardrobe.
Sentence: Everyone is very excited for school, not just meeting new friends, but also having lots of
wardrobe to wear.
Hamartia
/hah-mahr-TEE-uh/ (noun)
Definition: tragic flaw
Example: Greed was the hamartia that ultimately brought down the protagonist.
Sentence: I bought two same pants but different color. After days, the other pants shrinked and other
one didn’t. Maybe the one that shrinked had hamartia on fabric.
Bildungsroman
/BILL-dugz-roh-mahn/ (noun)
Definition: a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character.
Example: while the author’s previous novel was a bildungsroman, this one focuses on a family through
multiple generations.
Sentence: The movie, Harry Potter showed a bildungsroman character.
Baksheesh
/BAK-sheesh/ (noun)
Definition: payment (as a tip or bribe) to expedite service
Example I’m sure the fact that we got seated so quickly had nothing to do with that little baksheesh you
slipped the host” said to her dining companion
Sentence: After the man ate at the restaurant he gave baksheesh to the waiter for speeding up the
service.
Gridiron
/GRID-eye-ern/ (noun)
Definition: football field
Example: the former quarterback looked out at the field, recalling his many moment of glory on the
gridiron
Sentence: After the rainy season the volunteers volunteered to clean the muddy gridiron.
Obsequious
/ob-SEE-kwee-us/ (adjective)
Definition: marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness.
Example: the executive brought with her an entourage of obsequious assistant who would do anything
she asked of then.
Sentence: The queen of heart of Alice and Wonderland is very strict to her servants. She gave many
difficult obsequious to the soldiers.
Jitney
/JIT-nee/ (noun)
Definition: a small bu that carries passengers over a regular route on a flexible schedule.
Exaple: