spurious \SPYUR-ee-uhs\ (adjective) - 1 : Not proceeding from the true or claimed source; not genuine; false. 2 : Of illegitimate birth.

"She knew, with the perfect cynicism of cruel youth, that to rise in the world meant to have one outside show instead of another, the advance was like having a spurious half-crown instrad of a spurious penny. ...Read more

waylay \WAY-lay\ (transitive verb) - 1 : To lie in wait for and attack from ambush. 2 : To approach or stop (someone) unexpectedly.

"He returned to her night after night, until his brother, Frank, waylaid him one evening outside Harriet's cabin and beat him bloody." -- Lynne Olson, 'Freedom's Daughters'

Waylay comes from way (from Old English ...Read more

sough \SAU; SUHF\ (intransitive verb) - To make a soft, low sighing or rustling sound, as the wind.

(noun) - A soft, low rustling or sighing sound.

"In the dark of winter, tin roofs sough with rain." -- Les A. Murray, 'Driving Through Sawmill Towns'

Sough comes from Middle English swoughen, from Old English swogan.

oneiric \oh-NY-rik\ (adjective) - Of, pertaining to, or suggestive of dreams; dreamy.

"The danger of oneiric overproduction had been noted since the time of the founders, and could also, more simply, be explained by the conditions of absolute physical isolation in which we were called upon to live." -- Michel Houellebecq, 'The Possibility of an...Read more

patina \PAT-n-uh; puh-TEEN-uh\ (noun) - 1 : The color or incrustation which age gives to works of art; especially, the green rust which covers ancient bronzes, coins, and medals. 2 : The sheen on any surface, produced by age and use. 3 : An appearance or aura produced by habit, practice, or use. 4 : A superficial layer or exterior.

"The banks ...Read more

voluptuary \vuh-LUHP-choo-er-ee\ (noun) - A person devoted to luxury and the gratification of sensual appetites; a sensualist.

(adjective) - Of, pertaining to, or characterized by preoccupation with luxury and sensual pleasure.

"Hartmann, a voluptuary, lowered a spoonful of brown sugar crystals into his coffee cup, then placed a square of ...Read more

capricious \kuh-PRISH-us; -PREE-shus\ (adjective) - Apt to change suddenly; whimsical; changeable.

"To know that life can be truly capricious; that one is not omnipotent; that without magic as the ultimate defense., there is pain at times which hurts more..." -- Patrick O'Leary, 'The Gift'

Capricious comes, via French, from Italian capriccio, ...Read more

ambit \AM-bit\ (noun) - 1 : Circuit or compass. 2 : The boundaries or limits of a district or place. 3 : An area in which something acts, operates, or has power or control; extent; sphere; scope.

"We know each other very well on a narrow ambit... But that narrow ambit on which you know each other well might have given you some sidelight on ...Read more

apocryphal \uh-POK-ruh-fuhl\ (adjective) - 1 : (Bible) Pertaining to the Apocrypha. 2 : Not canonical. Hence: Of doubtful authority or authenticity; equivocal; fictitious; spurious; false.

"'Apocryphal!' exclaimed Rowland; 'on what authority do you believe that the Canticle of Canticles is a divinely inspired book, and on what do you reject the...Read more

meticulous \muh-TIK-yuh-luhs\ (adjective) - Extremely or excessively careful about details.

"But then, Eve reflected, from what she knew of Towers, the woman had been meticulous. In her dress, in her work, in maintaining her privacy." -- J.D. Robb, 'Glory in Death'

Meticulous ultimately derives from Latin meticulosus "fearful" (from metus, "...Read more

palindrome \PAL-in-drohm\ (noun) - A word, phrase, sentence, or verse that reads the same backward or forward.

"'The palindrome should have been a clue,' Pete Sullivan interrupted, making a chopping gesture at Mavranos. 'The Valorie personality gave Chchran one line of that, at the ruins, and we knew that palindromes were good for nothing but ...Read more

bouleversement \bool-vair-suh-MAWN\ (noun) - Complete overthrow; a reversal; a turning upside down.

"For the second time in his life Amory had had a complete bouleversement and was hurrying into line with his generation." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald, 'This Side of Paradise'

Bouleversement comes from French, from Old French bouleverser, "to overturn...Read more

impassive \im-PASS-iv\ (adjective) - 1 : Devoid of or unsusceptible to emotion. 2 : Showing no sign of emotion or feeling; expressionless.

"Don Corleone listened like a priest in the confessional, gazing away into the distance, impassive, remote." --Mario Puzo, 'The Godfather'

Impassive is derived from Latin in-, "not" + passivus, "subject to ...Read more

algorithm \AL-guh-RITH-uhm\ (noun) - A step-by-step procedure for solving a problem in a finite number of steps that often involves repetition of an operation.

"The plan was for Congress to pass legislation that made the new algorithm the nation's standard, thus alleviating the incompatibilities now suffered by corporations that used different ...Read more

As the Major League Baseball season rolls into the critical month of September, let's examine the fascinating origins of some colorful diamond lingo. I'm indebted to "The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary" by Paul Dickson (Harcourt Brace, $20) for many of these derivations.

-- around the horn -- You might assume that this term for throwing the ...Read more

parley \PAR-lee\ (noun) - A conference or discussion, especially with an enemy, as with regard to a truce or other matters.

"When Diabolus had thus done, he commanded that his drummer should every night approach the walls of the town of Mansoul, and so to beat a parley; the command was for him to do it at nights, for in the daytime they annoyed...Read more

pantheon \PAN-thee-on; -uhn\ (noun) - 1 : A temple dedicated to all the gods; especially (capitalized), the building so called at Rome. 2 : The collective gods of a people; as, a goddess of the Greek pantheon. 3 : A public building commemorating and dedicated to the famous dead of a nation. 4 : A group of highly esteemed persons.

"Unfortunately...Read more

prink \PRINGK\ (transitive verb) - To dress up; to deck for show.

(intransitive verb) - To dress or arrange oneself for show; to primp.

"To prink and preen he'd ask no urging,
But spend three hours before the glass,
Till from his dressing-room he'd pass,
Like Venus' very self emerging..." -- Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin, '...Read more

putsch \PUCH ('u' as in 'push')\ (noun) - (Sometimes capitalized) A secretly planned and suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a government.

"A 'putsch' is like a... It's like a coup... an insurrection. The Nazis tried to take over Munich. It was unsuccessful. They threw Hitler into jail." -- Faye Kellerman, 'Street Dreams'

Putsch comes from ...Read more

remunerate \rih-MYOO-nuh-rate\ (transitive verb) - 1 : To pay an equivalent to for any service, loss, or expense; to recompense. 2 : To compensate for; to make payment for.

"She would remunerate me handsomely; since yesterday's pay scales seem quaint today, and today's are likely to seem quaint tomorrow, I'll put my remuneration in terms of ...Read more