Discomfit [ dis-KUHM-fit ]
[Noun, transitive verb]
MEANING:
- (tr.v.) to confuse, embarrass or disconcert
- (tr.v.) to frustrate or thwart another’s plans
- (tr.v.) (Archaic) to defeat, conquer or rout
- (n.) a defeat
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
He was discomfited due to the difficult decision he had to make.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Most discomfiting of all for the generals, Mr. Gul is now their commander-in-chief.
alcove [ AL-kohv ]
[noun]
MEANING:
- A nook, niche or partly enclosed or recession section of a room
- a summerhouse
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The wardrobe had been fitted into an alcove.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
The 100-year-old statue of St Methodius had been in an alcove on the outside of Exeter Cathedral.
arabesque [ ar-uh’-BESK ]
[noun, adjective]
MEANING:
- (n.) a posture in ballet where the dancer bends forward with one arm and leg extended forward and the other arm and leg extended backwards
- (n.) an ornate, complex design with intricate geometric, floral and foliate figures
- (n.) a whimsical, fanciful musical piece esp. one for the piano
- (adj.) elaborates or like or characterized by an arabesque
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The ballerina was asked to finish the ballet with an arabesque.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
The second album with the new guitar virtuoso Mick Taylor, Sticky Fingers absolutely soars with bricklayer-beat drums, arabesque leads and a tight rhythm and bass that holds it all together.
allure [ uh’LOOR ]
[Noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb]
MEANING:
- (n.) the power to lure
- (n.) enticement
- (intr. v.) to be very attractive
- (tr. v.) to use something desirable as bait to attract.
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
He invested his life’s savings in gold bonds because of the allure of the yellow metal.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
There is a natural, joyful allure to this native Bolivian baroque and the school’s San Ignacio ensemble has become famous, travelling all over Latin America and Europe.
axiom [ AK-see-uh’m ]
[noun]
MEANING:
- a maxim or universally accepted truth
- a principle, rule or law that is established and universally accepted
- a postulate or a proposition that is assumed to be true without proof for the purpose of studying the resulting consequences.
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
A Russian mathematician devised three axioms that expound the theory of probability.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Within baseball circles there is a common baseball axiom, ‘If pitchers weren’t so stupid, hitters would never get a hit.’
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