confabulate - to talk together informally; chat: Friends
are comfortable with each other, whether they are confabulating or
saying nothing at all. Also: confabulation, confabulator,
confabulatory. [fabulor, fabulari, fabulatus - to converse,
chatter]
efface - 1) to rub out; to wipe out; to erase; 2) to keep from
being noticed: The new director had already established a pattern of
ostensibly self-effacing comments, the intended effect of which was to
bolster his own reputation. Also: effaceable, effacement,
effacer.
facilitate - to make easy: On-line computer networks
facilitate learning by bringing a world of information to the
computer screen. Also: facilitation (the act of
facilitating), facilitative, facilitator. [facilitas,
facilitatis, f. - ease]
affectation - pretense; artificial behavior meant to impress
others: Among people for whom appearance means more than reality,
affectation and hypocrisy abound. Also: affected (assumed for
effect; behaving in an artificial manner to impress others). [afficio,
afficere, affeci, affectus - to affect, afflict with; affectio,
affectionis, f. - relation; condition] surfeit - (n.) excess: Many Americans suffer from a surfeit of material goods and a dearth of human kindness. (trans. v.) to force on someone to the point of nausea; (intrans. v.) to eat or drink to excess. Also: surfeiter.
facultative - 1) granting permission to do or not do something: Many teachers become frustrated when facultative responses require a significant portion of class time. 2) optional; 3) that may or may not happen. Also: faculty (ability, capability). [facilis, facile - easy]
fallacious - 1) erroneous; logically unsound; 2) misleading or
deceptive: Quacks of all kinds use unreliable data and fallacious
reasoning to convince credulous listeners. Also: fallaciousness.
[fallax, fallacis - false, deceitful]
defamation - injury to the reputation of another by means of
false, malicious statements: The loudmouthed, unscrupulous liar was
finally sued successfully for defamation of character. Also: defamatory
(defaming), defame (to injure by defamation), defamer.
fanaticism - excessive enthusiasm, zealotry: Fanaticism can become violent; the result is such things as unjust wars, witch burnings, and mass suicides. Also: fanatic (someone whose enthusiasm exceeds what is reasonable), fanatical, fanaticize (to make a fanatic of; to act fanatically)
fastidious - not easy to please, demanding, very critical, easily disgusted: Everyone in the office wishes that the new employee were as fastidious in her work as she is in her attire. Also: fastidiousness. [fastidiosus, fastidiosa, fastidiosum - full of disgust, disdainful]
fastuous - arrogant, ostentatious: His eye was always drawn to the oversized, fastuous columns on either side of the front door. Also: fastuousness.
fatuity - complacent foolishness: The line between optimism and fatuity can be difficult to discern. Also: fatuitous (complacently foolish), fatuitousness, fatuous (fatuitous), fatuousness. [fatuitas, fatuitatis, f. - foolishness, silliness]
felicific - making or tending to make happy: For them, the remote beach, with its beauty and tranquility, was the most felicific place on earth. felicitous - done or expressed appropriately; appropriate;
suitable to the occasion: Having thanked the speaker for his
felicitous words, the principal asked the graduates to rise and come
forward to receive their diplomas. Also: felicitousness, infelicitous
(inappropriate; unhappy). [felicitas, felicitatis, f. -
happiness] infelicitous - inapt; inappropriate: Think before you speak; an infelicitous remark can have disastrous consequences. Also: infelicity (unhappiness). [infelicitas, infelicitatis, f. - misfortune; infelix, infelicis - unfruitful; unfortunate]
defenestration - the act of throwing out through a window: The Thirty Years War began when Protestant rebels in Bohemia threw two representatives of the Catholic Emperor out of a window. This act is known as the Defenestration of Prague. Also: fenestrated (having windows), and fenestration (the arrangement of windows in a building). [de (prep. w/ abl.) - from, down from; about]
defer - (trans.) to put off, postpone; (intrans.) to yield respectfully to the judgment or wish of another: It was the CEO's prerogative to explain the reasons for the impending merger, but he deferred to the company's founder. 2. to put off until later. Also: deference (a yielding to the opinion or wish of another), deferent (showing deference), deferential (deferent), deferment (postponement), deferrable or deferrable, deferrer. [defero, deferre, detuli, delatus - to bring down; to carry away; to hand over; to report] elate - to make very joyful or proud: The announcement of their daughter’s induction into the National Honor Society elated them. Also: elatedness, elation. [effero, eferre, extuli, elatus - to carry out, take away] proffer - to offer for acceptance: Committee members fidgeted and doodled while the consultant proffered a lengthy plan for boosting federal support. Also: profferer. [offero, offerre, obtuli, oblatus - to present, offer] referendum - the referring of a measure proposed or passed by the legislature to the vote of the citizens for approval or rejection: Much legislation is too complex to be determined by referendum. [refero, referre, rettuli, relatus - to carry back; to restore; to repeat; to answer; to deliver]
ferrous - of or containing iron: Soil with high-ferrous, high-aluminum content is typically found in rain forests, where high leaching has occurred. Also: ferric (of or containing iron), ferriferous (producing iron), ferro- (prefix corresponding to ferrous), ferruginous (iron-bearing). [ferramenta, ferramentorum, n. - tools made of iron; ferrarius, ferraria, ferrarium - of iron; ferratus, ferrata, ferratum - furnished with iron; ferreus, ferrea, ferreum - of iron; ferrugineus, ferruginea, ferrugineum - of an iron-gray color; ferrugo, ferruginis, f. - iron rust; dark red]
effervescent - 1) bubbling; 2) exuberant, vivacious, lively: "It's
okay to be in a bad mood," he said. "I don't think I could
stand it if you were effervescent all the time." Also:
effervescence. [effervesco, effervescere, efferbui - to boil
up, foam up. boil over]
festinate - (v.) to hurry, hasten, rush: You can’t become a millionaire delivering newspapers; it won’t help to fuss, finagle, or festinate. (adj.) hurried. Also: festination. [festinatio, festinationis, f. - haste, hurry, speed; festinus, festina, festinum - hasty, speedy]
fidelity - 1) faithfulness; loyalty: From the president on
down, everyone at the company praised the beloved retiree for her
industriousness and fidelity. 2) exactness; accuracy of a
description, translation, or reproduction. Also: infidelity. [fidelitas,
fidelitatis, f. - faithfulness]
fiduciary - (n.) a person to whom property or power is entrusted for the benefit of another: A fiduciary is required to disregard personal benefit and to act exclusively in the best interest of the person represented. (adj.) pertaining to the relation between a fiduciary and his principal. Also: fiducial (in astronomy, of a line or point assumed as a fixed basis of reference; based on trust). [fido, fidere, fisus sum - to trust, rely upon; fiduciarius, fiduciaria, fiduciarium - entrusted; fidus, fida, fidum - faithful]
bona fide - genuine, authentic, true; without fraud or
deception: My cousin is convinced that the violin he purchased at an
auction for $350 is a bona fide Stradivarius, worth perhaps a cool
hundred thousand.
affix - (v.) 1) to attach, fasten: Having spotted the postal delivery vehicle in the next cul-de-sac, she sealed the letter, affixed a stamp, and headed for the mailbox. 2) to add on, append. (n.) 1) something that is attached or fastened; 2) a prefix or a suffix. Also: affixable, affixal, affixation (the act of affixing; the adding of a prefix or a suffix) affixial, affixer, affixment, affixture (the act of affixing). fixate - 1) to make stable or stationary; 2) to become fixed : The eyes of the actor fixated on a brunette ironing costumes on the other side of the room; it was the beginning of a loving relationship that lasted a lifetime. Also: fixation, fixative (serving to make fixed or permanent).
affiliate - v. 1) to connect in close association; 2) to join:
Our company has affiliated itself with a former rival; now business
is better than ever. n. branch organization; subsidiary. Also: affiliable,
affiliation (an affiliating or being affiliated), affiliative.
feign - 1) to make a false show of: The visiting teacher admonished us never to feign sickness to avoid academic or occupational responsibilities; according to her, malingering is harmful to oneself and to others. 2) to invent fictitiously, make up.
affinity - 1) a natural attraction or liking: He chose to
study geology, a discipline in which he would be able to take advantage
of his affinity for nature and wilderness. 2) close relationship; 3)
similarity of structure; resemblance. Also: affinitive (having
affinity; closely related), affinal (related by marriage), affine
(a person related by marriage). [affinis, affine - neighboring,
adjoining; affinitas, affinitatis, f. - relationship by marriage]
affirm - 1) to declare to be true; 2) to confirm; to ratify: To
a man, the striking players affirmed their willingness to cancel the
entire season rather than accede to the owners' requests. Also: affirmable,
affirmance (affirmation), affirmant (one who affirms), affirmation,
affirmative, affirmer. [adfirmo, adfirmare, adfirmavi, adfirmatus
- to strengthen; to support, confirm]
flagellation - the act of whipping: In The Scarlet Letter, the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale resorts to self-flagellation to try to atone for his secret sin with Hester. Also: flagellant (n., someone who whips himself for religious purposes or who derives sexual pleasure from whipping another or from being whipped; adj., whipping), flagellator, flagellatory. [flagellum, flagelli, n. - a whip; flagrum, flagri, n. - a whip]
flagrant - glaringly outrageous, shockingly evident: The flagrant misuse of donations for personal aggrandizement dampened the enthusiasm of even the most credulous followers. Also: flagrance, flagrancy (flagrance), flagrantness (flagrance). [flagrantia, flagrantiae, f. - a blazing, burning]
florid - 1) reddish, ruddy, highly colored; 2) flowery, showy, highly or excessively ornate: The florid tapestries which once adorned the walls of the concert hall served as a visual complement to the baroque music of the times. Also: floridity, floridness. [floridus, florida, floridum - flowering, blooming; of flowers; rich in flowers]
flume - an inclined chute for carrying water downhill: Although the students had all ridden the "Flume Zoom" at Opryland, none of them realized that flumes are used by logging companies to transport logs down mountains.
circumfluent - flowing around; surrounding: Looking around he saw no one, neither on the island nor in the circumfluent waters of the Pacific. Also: circumfluous - 1) circumfluent; 2) surrounded by water. [circum (prep. w/ acc.) - around; circumfluo, circumfluere, circumfluxi, circumfluxus - to flow around; circumfluus, circumflua, circumfluum - flowing around] flux - 1) flow; 2) continuous change: When everything in a society appears to be in a state of flux, anxiety medication flourishes. Also: fluxion (a flowing, flow), fluxional, fluxionary. [fluctus, fluctus, m. - a flowing, streaming; fluentum, fluenti, n. - running water; stream; fluidus, fluida, fluidum - flowing; fluito, fluitare, fluitavi - to flow; to float; to undulate; to waver]
fetid - stinking: The largest flower in the world is the Amorphophallus Titanum, the huge Corpse Flower of Sumatra. Because of its fetid odor, it is also known as the Devil's Tongue. Also: fetidity, fetidness (fetidity). [fetor, fetoris, m. - a bad smell]
defoliate - to strip of leaves: Agent Orange, used by the American military to defoliate forests and destroy crops in Vietnam, has been blamed for skin diseases, cancers, miscarriages, and birth defects. exfoliate - 1) (tr.) to throw off or remove (the surface) in scales, flakes, or splinters; 2) (intr.) to throw off scales, flakes, or small fragments: The bark of some trees, for example, the maple, the beech, and the dogwood, may not exfoliate during the first several years of the life of the tree. Also: exfoliative, exfoliation.
cuneiform - 1) wedge-shaped characters used by the ancient
Babylonians; 2) wedge-shaped: Because certain bones resemble wedges,
they are called cuneiform. Also: cuneiformist (an expert in
cuneiform writing).
fortuitous - 1) happening by chance, accidental: He believed his wartime survival to be purely fortuitous, not the result of divine intervention; God must have slept as millions died, he mused. 2) fortunate. Also: fortuitousness, fortuity (fortuitousness; a chance happening). [fortuitus, fortuita, fortuitum - happening by chance, accidental]
forte - a personal strength; something one does particularly
well: Amber runs all distances well, but her forte is middle-distance
running.
fracas - a noisy quarrel or fight: To understand is to
forgive; misunderstanding has led to many a fracas. frangible - easily broken: They packed the frangible gifts in the carry-on luggage and put the rest in a duffle bag that they checked through to Philadelphia. Also: frangibility, frangibleness. fragile, fragility, fragment, fragmentary (consisting of fragments; incomplete), fragmentariness, fragmentate (fragmentize), fragmentation, fragmented, fragmentize (to break apart), fragmentization, fragmentizer, frangibility, frangibleness. [fragilis, fragile - easily broken; fragilitas, fragilitatis, f. - fragility; fragmen, fragminis, n. - (pl.) fragments; fragmentum, fragmenti, n. - a piece broken off]
fraternal - of or like a brother; brotherly: It is
impossible to know to what extent fraternal rivalry motivated pairs of
successful brothers such as Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm and John F. and
Robert Kennedy. Also: fraternalism (brotherliness), fraternity,
fratricidal, fratricide (killing of one's brother). [fraternus,
fraterna, fraternum - pertaining to a brother, brotherly, fraternal;
fraternitas, fraternitatis, f. - brotherhood; fratricida,
fratricidae, m. - one who kills a brother]
fraudulent - 1) deceitful, using deceit; 2) characterized by or involving deceit: Too proud to seek the assistance of charitable agencies, the desperate man resorted to the fraudulent use of checks and credit cards. Also: fraud, fraudulence, fraudulency. [fraudatio, fraudationis, f. - deceit, cheating; fraudator, fraudatoris, m. - a deceiver, cheater; fraudo, fraudare, fraudavi, fraudatus - to cheat; fraudulentia, fraudulentiae, f. - deceitfulness]
frigorific - causing or producing cold: The collision of a large meteorite with the earth would be catastrophically frigorific; many animal and plant species would perish. Also: frigid (very cold), frigidness, frigidity. [frigeo, frigere - be cold; frigero, frigerare - to cool; frigesco, frigescere - become cold; frigidus, frigida, frigidum - cold; cool]
frivolous - 1) of little worth, trivial; 2) lacking seriousness, not properly serious: Her frivolous answers to serious questions belie an intellect accustomed to pondering philosophical matters. Also: frivol (to spend frivolously; to behave frivolously), frivolity, frivolousness.
affront - (n.) an open insult; an expression of intentional
disrespect or contempt: The ambassador's words could be understood
only as an affront to the integrity of the vice-president. (v.) to
insult openly. Also: affrontedness, affronter, affrontiveness.
fructify - 1. (intr.) to bear fruit; 2. (tr.) to make fruitful or productive: The farmer plows, plants, and cultivates; rain and sunshine fructify his efforts. Also: fructiferous (producing fruit), fructification, fructificative (able to produce fruit), fructifier, fructivorous (feeding on fruits), fructose (a kind of sugar occurring in many fruits), fructuous (producing fruit; productive). [fructuosus, fructuosa, fructuosum - fruitful, productive]
frugal - tending to avoid unnecessary spending; thrifty, not wasteful: Allowing herself few luxuries, saving almost all she can, she thinks of herself as frugal; others consider her parsimonious, even miserly. Also: frugality (tendency to avoid wasteful spending; thrift). [frugalitas, frugalitatis, f. - thriftiness]
frumentaceous - having the nature of, made of, or resembling wheat or other grains: For breakfast he enjoyed toast, bagels, English muffins, and other frumentaceous creations. [frumentarius, frumentaria, frumentarium - of corn or grain; frumentatio, frumentationis, f. - foraging; distribution or providing of corn; frumentator, frumentatoris, m. - a provider of corn; forager; frumentor, frumentari, frumentatus - forage, provide corn]
fugacious - passing away, transitory: Sooner or later, one
becomes aware of the fugacious nature of life; however, awareness and
acceptance are two different things. Also: fugacity,
fugaciousness. [fugax, fugacis - apt to flee; fleeing;
fleeting]
centrifugal - moving or tending to move away from the center: By
means of an arced approach to the bar, the high jumper creates
centrifugal force which, when released, provides the horizontal
component of the jump. Also: centrifugalize, centrifugalization,
centrifugate (the denser of the centrifuged substances), centrifugation,
centrifuge (n., apparatus that by means of high-speed rotation
causes substances of different densities to separate; v., to separate by
means of a centrifuge). [centrum, centri, n. - center]
refulgence - radiance, brightness: When Judy Garland as Dorothy, in her black-and-white house which had been carried by the wind from black-and-white Kansas, opens the door to the Land of Oz, movie audiences of 1939 must have gasped audibly at the Kodacolor refulgence of Munchkinland. Also: fulgent (shining brightly), fulgentness, refulgency (refulgence), refulgent (shining, gleaming, radiant), refulgentness. [fulgor, fulgoris, n. - lightning; brightness, splendor; refulgeo, refulgere, refulsi - to flash back; to glitter, gleam]
fulminate - 1) to utter or publish denunciations, condemnations, censures, or the like: Some political candidates spend more time and money fulminating against their opponents than explaining their own ideas. 2) to explode violently. Also: fulminant (fulminating), fulmination, fulminator, fulminatory. [fulmineus, fulminea, fulmineum - of lightning; fulmino, fulminare - to lightning]
confound - to confuse, puzzle, disconcert: The manager’s decision to start a left-handed pitcher against a team whose starting lineup included eight right-handed batters confounded sportswriters and fans alike. Also: confoundedness, confounder, confusable, confusability, confuse, confusedness, confusion, confusional. [confundo, confundere, confudi, confusus - to pour together, mix; confusio, confusionis, f. - a mixing; fusio, fusionis. f. - an outpouring] diffuse - to spread out or scatter widely: Like the seeds of dandelions, the prejudices of a vocal few had been diffused throughout the small town. Also: diffuseness, diffuser, diffusibility, diffusible, diffusibleness, diffusion, diffusional, diffusionism (the theory that diffusion is the principal force behind cultural change), diffusionist (one who believes the theory of cultural diffusion), diffusive, diffusiveness, diffusivity. [diffundo, diffundere, diffudi, diffusus - to pour out; to spread; fusio, fusionis. f. - an outpouring]
funereal - 1) of or pertaining to a funeral; 2) mournful, gloomy: At their wedding reception, there were no flowers, no meal, and no dancing; the austerity struck many guests as funereal. Also: funeral, funeralize (to hold a funeral service for), funerary (of or pertaining to a funeral). [funereus, funerea, funereum - of a funeral]
furtive - stealthy, sneaky, surreptitious: The detective did not fail to notice the suspect's furtive glance at his hands when the focus of the interrogation shifted to the blood found on the victim. Also: furtiveness. [furtivus, furtiva, furtivum - stolen; hidden]
obfuscate - to confuse, make unclear; to darken. “You
have certainly managed to confuse me,” said the disgruntled moderator,
“and I fear that further discussion will only serve to obfuscate the
matter even more.” Also: obfuscation, obfuscatory. |
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