Monthly Archives: December 2007

PRONUNCIATION: (PUHL-kruh-tood) http://wordsmith.org/words/pulchritude.mp3 MEANING: (noun), Physical comeliness; beauty. ETYMOLOGY: A descendant of the Latin adjective “pulcher,” meaning “beautiful.” The verb “pulchrify” (a synonym of “beautify”), the noun “pulchritudeness” (same meaning as “pulchritude”), and the adjective “pulchrious” (meaning “fair or beautiful”) … Continue reading →

PRONUNCIATION: (yoo-di-MO-nee-uh) http://wordsmith.org/words/eudemonia.mp3 MEANING: (noun) 1. A state of happiness and well-being. 2. In Aristotelian philosophy, happiness in a life of activity governed by reason. ETYMOLOGY: From Greek eudaimonia (happiness), from eudaimon (having a good genius, happy), from eu- (good) … Continue reading →

PRONUNCIATION: (SANG-gwehn)) http://wordsmith.org/words/sanguine.mp3 MEANING: (adjective), Ruddy, cheerful, hopeful, confident, or optimistic. ETYMOLOGY: “Sanguine” describes one of the temperaments that ancient and medieval scholars believed was caused by an abundance of one of the four humors. The word “sanguine” derives from … Continue reading →

PRONUNCIATION: (good suh-MAR-i-tn) http://wordsmith.org/words/good-samaritan.mp3 MEANING: (noun), A person who voluntarily helps others in distress. Also Samaritan. ETYMOLOGY: From the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke (a book of the Bible) where a Samaritan stopped to help a man who … Continue reading →

PRONUNCIATION: (SYDE-burnz) http://wordsmith.org/words/sideburns.mp3 MEANING: (plural noun), Growths of hair down the sides of a man’s face in front of the ears, especially when worn with the rest of the beard shaved off. ETYMOLOGY: Alteration of burnsides. After Ambrose Everett Burnside … Continue reading →