pelf \PELF\ (noun) - Money; riches; gain; -- generally conveying the idea of something ill-gotten.

"A life-long con man, Jason was always just one big scam away from taking his pelf and retiring for good."

Pelf comes from Old French pelfre, "booty, stolen goods." It is related to pilfer.

diaphanous \di-AE-feh-nehs\ (adjective) - Thin and fragile, translucent, filmy or flimsy.

"Jacob's lie was so diaphanous that even his dog could see through it"

From Greek dia- "through" + phainein "to show". The latter underlies "photo-" and "fantasy", borrowed from Greek and itself is derived from Indo-Eropean bhaa- from which French "...Read more

matutolypea \meh-tu-teh-leh-PEE-eh\ (noun) - A rare word for an everyday occurrence: ill-humor in the mornings, getting up on the wrong side of the bed.

'The secret is not to talk to Mr. Jenkins at all until he's been awake for at least an hour, as it's best to wait until his inevitable matutolypea subsides."

A facetiously concocted word ...Read more

opus \O-pehs\ (noun) - (Erudite) A creative work, such as a novel, musical piece, or painting.

"Brendan's latest opus contains a modicum of verisimilitude conveyed with fatuous periphrasis."

Italian opera "work" from Latin opus, opera (plural) "work, service." The same root is found in "operate," but also in "copious," "copy;" and "...Read more

Garlic \GAH(r)-lik\ (noun) - An onion-like plant of the species Allium sativum with an edible bulb that separates into distinct sections, called 'cloves' (from cleave, i.e. cleft sections) and which has a strong smell and taste, used for seasoning.

"While in sufficient quantities garlic can be quite efficacious in the warding of vampires ...Read more

Absquatulate \ahb-SQWAH-chu-leyt\ (verb) - 1 : To depart, abscond, take off; to die. 2 : To argue.

"David seems to have absquatulated with my date while I was in the bathroom; would you like to dance?"

Today's word is not one you would want to use on a job interview or in a PhD dissertation. It is a word created for humorous effect, not ...Read more

fricassee \fri-keh-SEE or FRI-keh-see\ (noun) - A dish made of poultry or meat, fresh or leftover, cut into small pieces, sauteed, then stewed in a gravy.

"Sullivan's proposal contained nothing new; it was just a fricassee of leftover ideas from the proposal he made the previous year."

Today's word is the untarnished French past participle,...Read more

psephology \se-FAH-leh-gee\ (noun) - The study of political campaigns and elections, including voting trends that predict election results. It could also be used to refer to the conduct of elections and voting trends themselves.

"The Florida results of the 2000 presidential election put U.S. psephology to its severest test."

Today's word ...Read more

meshuga \meh-SHU-geh\ (adjective) - (Affectionate) Crazy, nutty, absent-minded.

"You can't parachute from the roof with an umbrella! Where did you get a meshuga idea like that?!"

Yiddish "meshuge" from Hebrew mesuggah "maddened, crazed" participle of suggah "to be mad, crazy." The noun is meshugaas "craziness" and a crazy girl is a "...Read more

cacodylic \kae-keh-DI-lik\ (adjective) - 1 : Belonging to the arsenic group of poisons. 2 : Foul-smelling.

"After playing in the yard, Meghan found a cacodylic substance clinging stubbornly to the bottom of her right shoe."

Greek kakos "bad, ugly" + od from od-ein "to smell" + yl + ic. Kakos is related to kakka, a common word floating ...Read more

undervote \EHN-dehr-vot\ (noun) - A ballot missing one or more votes for specific offices that (usually) do not invalidate voting for other offices on the same ballot.

"In the election of 2000, the Gore campaign argued that many intended votes were not counted because of mechanical failure and were hence erroneously included in the ...Read more

pudic \PYU-dik\ (adjective) - Modest as a result of being chaste, having a very sensitive sense of shame.

"Bigelow was so pudic in his demeanor, girls were attracted to him like blind moths to an unlit candle."

Latin pudic-us "shamefaced, modest, chaste" via French "pudique." From pud-ere "to make or be ashamed." While ...Read more

sciential \sye-EN-shul\ (adjective) - 1 : relating to or producing knowledge or science 2 : having efficient knowledge : capable

Of the value of having a library at hand for a liberal education, Coleridge wrote: "There is no way of arriving at any sciential end but by finding it at every step."

You might expect "sciential," which derives ...Read more

festoon \fes-TUN\ (verb) - To drape a bushy rope of greenery or colorful cloth in loops that droop down between the points where it is attached, for festive decoration.

"Well, no, festooning the tree with toilet paper is not really what I had in mind when I asked for Christmas decoration in the front yard."

Today's word comes from French ...Read more

sitophobia \sy-tuh-FO-bee-uh\ (noun) - Morbid aversion to food.

"While lowering her little girl's weight was important, June was concerned about putting her on a diet as it could place her in danger of contracting sitophobia."

From Greek sito- (food) + -phobia (fear, aversion). The word is also spelled as sitiophobia. Two related words are...Read more

nosopoetic \no-seh-po-ET-ik\ (adjective) - Disease-causing, disease producing, infectious.

"One of the goals of early manned space flights was to test for any nosopoetic effects of extended periods of weightlessness."

Today's word comes to us, courtesy of Latin and French, from Greek nosopoi(etik)os "causing illness," which consists of ...Read more

quasquicentennial \kwah-skweh-sin-TE-ni-yehl\ (adjective) - Pertaining to 125 or 125th; the celebration of 125 years.

"Lawrence, this is the quasquicentennial time I've requested that you clean up your room."

Apparently, introduced for the city of Delavan, Illinois' rather odd 125th anniversary of its founding ...Read more

billabong \BI-leh-bang\ (noun) - 1 : A waterhole near a stream filled only during floods. 2 : A part of a river or creek that dries up after the rainy season.

"1985 was a positive billabong for Janice in an otherwise gushing career."

A common term in parts of Australia but not used in Great Britain or North America. ...Read more

crotchet \KRAH-chet\ (noun) - A highly individual and eccentric opinion or preference. Originally, a small hook or hooked instrument although that sense is now archaic.

"Guacamole on ice cream is just one of Jason's many gastronomic crotchets."

This word is merely the English pronunciation of French crochet "hook," diminutive of croche "...Read more