Plainsong Definition: (noun) the ancient traditional unisonal of the Christian Church, having its form set and its use prescribed by ecclesiastical tradition. Synonyms: Gregorian chant, plainchant Usage: He appears familiar with the plainsong, and has based a symphony and portions […]

deponent Definition: (noun) A person who testifies or gives a deposition. Synonyms: testifier Usage: In the taking of legal oaths, for instance, deponents seem to enjoy themselves mightily when they come to several good words in succession.

cupidity Definition: (noun) Excessive desire, especially for wealth. Synonyms: covetousness, avarice Usage: Their very cupidity was to prove the means of their undoing, in the matter of the ransom at least.

bedeck Definition: (verb) To adorn or ornament in a showy fashion. Synonyms: bedight, deck Usage: It was at the dawn of day in the merry Maytime, when hedgerows are green and flowers bedeck the meadows.

nonstarter Definition: (noun) An idea, proposal, or candidate with no chance of being accepted or successful. Synonyms: failure, loser Usage: Many lawmakers are pronouncing the budget a nonstarter.

wharfage Definition: (noun) A platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats. Synonyms: pier, dock Usage: After the storm, she stood at the end of the wharfage, waiting for […]

rscintilla Definition: (noun) A minute amount; an iota or trace. Synonyms: shred, smidge Usage: When the party was over, not a scintilla of food remained.

rarboreal Definition: (adjective) Relating to or resembling a tree. Synonyms: arborical, arborous Usage: Clayton had erected a frail partition of boughs to divide their arboreal shelter into two rooms—one for the girl and the other for Monsieur Thuran.

atelier Definition: (noun) A studio especially for an artist or designer. Synonyms: artist’s workroom Usage: Joe and Delia met in an atelier where a number of art and music students had gathered to discuss chiaroscuro, Wagner, music, wall paper, Chopin, […]

commissariat Definition: (noun) A stock or supply of foods. Synonyms: provisions, viands Usage: During the war with Spain he was employed in the commissariat of the French army, and made a fortune.

vesicle Definition: (noun) A small sac or cyst, especially one containing fluid. Synonyms: cyst Usage: All living things have much in common, in their chemical composition, their germinal vesicles, and their laws of growth and reproduction.

fiat Definition: (noun) A legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge). Synonyms: decree, edict Usage: The judge issued a fiat that was met with widespread protest.

catkin Definition: (noun) A usually dense, cylindrical, often drooping cluster of unisexual apetalous flowers found in willows, birches, and oaks. Synonyms: race Usage: Walking some forty paces away, Sergey Ivanovitch, knowing he was out of sight, stood still behind a […]

subspecies Definition: (noun) A taxonomic group that is a division of a species; usually arises as a consequence of geographical isolation within a species. Synonyms: race Usage: The scientist identified a rare subspecies of the animal, and his discovery made […]

rowlock Definition: (noun) A holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing. Synonyms: thole, peg Usage: It was that dull kind of a regular sound that comes […]