infernal [ in-FUR-nl ]
[adjective]
MEANING:
1. pertaining to hell
2. diabolical, fiendish or annoying
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
He was arrested when his infernal plot came to light.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
As Boston declared its first heat emergency, many utilities in New England expected to set power consumption records this week, especially as forecasters are not anticipating any break in the infernal conditions until the weekend.
effusion [ i-FYOO-zhuh’ n ]
[noun]
MEANING:
1. an act or instance of pouring forth
2. one that is effused or poured forth
3. an unrestrained outburst of expressions and feelings
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The effusion of mass hysteria made the crowd dangerous and out of control.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
You might think that this does no harm, and I dare say that plenty of people sigh a pleasant little sentimental sigh when they read these effusions.
ungainly [ uhn-GEYN-lee ]
[adjective,adverb]
MEANING:
1. (adj.) not graceful; clumsy
2. (adv.) in a clumsy manner
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The ungainly waiter caused a ruckus while serving lunch by dropping food on a patron.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
The new shoes look as if they have a Frankenstein life and motion of their own; young women walk in them (ungainly and swaying, waving their arms for balance) the way an inexperienced rider sits an energetic horse that is barely under control.
abscission [ ab-SIZH-uh’n ]
[noun]
MEANING:
1. a sudden termination or the act of cutting off
2. the natural separation of a fruit, flowers and leaves from a plant
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The botanist was working on an experiment to delay the abscission in the petals of the rose so that it would remain fresh for a long time.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Understanding the process of abscission – which applies to petals and fruit as well as leaves – will be of particular interest to the commercial fruit tree and cut flower industries, which aim to ensure fruit remains on branches until it is ripe.
dictum [ DIK-tuh’m ]
[noun]
MEANING:
1. an authoritative pronouncement
2. a judicial assertion
3. an authoritative say-so or formal pronouncement
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The people followed his dictum and assembled at the park even though the police commissioner declared that the rally was illegal.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Lenin’s hoary dictum on the critical importance of cinema was never better realized than by two 1927 films, Sergei Eisenstein’s October (10 Days That Shook the World) and Vsevolod Pudovkin’s The End of St Peters burg.
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