solipsism \sa-LIP-si-zehm\ (noun) - The view that only the self can be known or that the self is the only reality (egotism).

"When Catherine is writing, she falls into a solipsistic state impervious to the outside world."

Latin solus "alone" +ipse "self" + -ism. "Solus" is the origin of "solo" but also can be found in "solitary," "soliloquy...Read more

frisson \free-SOHN\ (noun) - A moment of intense excitement; a shudder; an emotional thrill.

"While Carol loved the frisson of watching movies where hapless ladies became victims through no fault of their own, she hated to think about what she might do should she actually find herself in such a situation."

Frisson comes from the French, from ...Read more

rebarbative \ree-BAR-buh-tiv\ (adjective) - Serving or tending to irritate or repel.

"Over the several hours of the party a lot of rebarbative, ulcerated and embittered people had been working hard at bedding their resentments down in sensory-deprivation tanks full of alcohol."

Rebarbative comes from French rebarbatif, "stern, surly, grim, ...Read more

collude \kuh-LOOD\ (intransitive verb) - To act in concert; to conspire; to plot.

"Sadly, well-heeled contributors and interest groups that seek political power routinely collude with needy office-seekers to find new paths around the hollow contribution limits."

Collude derives from Latin colludere, from con-, "together" + ludere, "to play."

trencherman \TREN-chuhr-muhn\ (noun) - A hearty eater.

"Dr. Zollner was arranging his large lunch in front of him with the expertise of a real trencherman." -- Nelson DeMille, 'Plum Island'

Trencherman is from trencher, "a wooden board or platter on which food is served or carved" (which itself is from Medieval French trencheoir, from Old ...Read more

languor \LANG-guhr; LANG-uhr\ (noun) - 1 : Mental or physical weariness or fatigue. 2 : Listless indolence, especially the indolence of one who is satiated by a life of luxury or pleasure. 3 : A heaviness or oppressive stillness of the air.

"She had been particularly unwell, however, suffering from headache to a degree, which made her aunt ...Read more

gewgaw \G(Y)OO-gaw\ (noun) - A showy trifle; a trinket; a bauble.

"Many in the office felt that new secretary's tendency to be festooned with gewgaws, as well as her gaudy makeup, reflected poorly on the company's image."

The origin of gewgaw is uncertain.

recrudescent \ree-kroo-DES-uhnt\ (adjective) - Breaking out again after temporary abatement or suppression; as, a recrudescent epidemic.

"Jenna's recrudescent acne had a tendency to make its appearance at the most inconvenient of times, such as when she had a date or public appearance."

Recrudescent derives from the present participle of Latin...Read more

corybantic \kor-i-BAN-tik\ (adjective) - Wild; frenzied; uncontrolled.

"Harold felt that the radio show was worse than merely 'bad,' thinking that it penetrated the mind, filling it with a babble of distractions, blasts of corybantic or sentimental music, and continually repeated doses of drama that brought no catharsis."

After Corybant, an ...Read more

mephitic \muh-FIT-ik\ (adjective) - 1 : Offensive to the smell; as, mephitic odors. 2 : Poisonous; noxious.

"The mephitic stench from the bilge became overpowering." -- Richard Holmes, Coleridge: Darker Reflections, 1804-1834

Mephitic is the adjective form of mephitis, "a foul-smelling or noxious exhalation from the earth; a stench from any ...Read more

contumely \kon-TYOO-muh-lee; -TOO-; KON-tyoo-mee-lee; -too-; KON-tum-lee\ (noun) - 1 : Rudeness or rough treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt; scornful insolence. 2 : An instance of contemptuousness in act or speech.

"But surely it would be desperate unkindness to add contumely to our self-protection, unless, indeed, we believe that ...Read more

tete-a-tete \TAYT-uh-TAYT; TET-uh-TET\ (adjective) - Private; confidential; familiar.

(noun) - 1 : A private conversation between two people. 2 : A short sofa intended to accommodate two persons.

"There was a phone in her office, but she wasn't near brave enough to hang around having a tete-a- tete with a corpse while she waited for the police...Read more

ephemeron \ih-FEM-uh-ron\ (noun) plural ephemera \ih-FEM-uh-ruh\ - 1 : Something short-lived or of no lasting significance. 2 : ephemera: Items, especially printed matter (as posters, broadsides, pamphlets, etc.), intended to be of use or importance for only a short time but preserved by collectors.

"She had seen that the finger of Death was ...Read more

benignant \bih-NIG-nuhnt\ (adjective) - 1 : Kind; gracious. 2 : Beneficial; favorable.

"Bruce's benignant behavior in financially supporting the homeless shelter's programs were rather at odds with his image as a grouchy skinflint."

Benignant comes from the present participle of Late Latin benignare, from Latin benignus, "kind, friendly."

winsome \WIN-suhm\ (adjective) - 1 : Cheerful; merry; gay; light-hearted. 2 : Causing joy or pleasure; agreeable; pleasant.

"Above all, it was winsome, devastatingly winsome. For a pretty face to be winsome is normal enough and very winsome it can be, but it is a tepid thing..." -- Mervyn Peake, 'The Gormenghast Novels'

Winsome is from Old ...Read more

daedal \DEE-duhl\ (adjective) - 1 : Complex or ingenious in form or function; intricate. 2 : Skillful; artistic; ingenious. 3 : Rich; adorned with many things.

"As a Web-site designer, Susan realized that large image maps and daedal layouts were to be avoided, and she reacted to users' objections to highly graphical, slow sites by using ...Read more

supererogatory \soo-puhr-ih-ROG-uh-tor-ee\ (adjective) - 1 : Going beyond what is required or expected. 2 : Superfluous; unnecessary.

"He was close to her doors: his standing was sufficient: his qualities were even supererogatory." -- Thomas Hardy, 'Far From the Madding Crowd'

Supererogatory comes from Latin supererogare, "to spend over and ...Read more

hardscrabble \HARD-skrab-uhl\ (adjective) - 1 : Yielding a bare or meager living with great labor or difficulty. 2 : Marked by poverty.

"The hardscrabble land was such that few wanted to come and live in the area in spite of the government's incentives."

Hardscrabble is formed from hard (from Old English heard) + scrabble (from Dutch ...Read more

paragon \PAIR-uh-gon; -guhn\ (noun) - A model of excellence or perfection; as, "a paragon of beauty; a paragon of eloquence."

"Old Roland, that paragon of acceptable standards, viewed the world with a thoroughly jaundiced, nearly blind eye." -- Samara Al-Darraji , 'Eclipse'

Paragon comes from Middle French, from Old Italian paragone, literally...Read more