Language Archives

Flaneur (or fancy French spelling flâneur) is a noun meaning “idler; dawdler; loafer”.

Apotheosis is “the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god”. It can also mean “the ideal example” or “epitome”.

May you tipple your way to a very happy new year! And have a drink for me, because I’m not 21 yet. To tipple means “to drink intoxicating liquor, esp. habitually or to some excess.”

A platitude is “a flat, dull, or trite remark, esp. one uttered as if it were fresh or profound”. It can also refer to “lack of originality” in general.

Insularity means “the state of being isolated or detached”. The word insulation can have the same meaning, though it usually refers to “a material that reduces or prevents the transmission of heat or sound or electricity”.

This sounds like an SAT word if I ever memorized one: reticent, “reluctant”, “restrained”, or “disposed to be silent or not to speak freely”.

A truism is “a self-evident, obvious truth”. But more than that, it’s often a truth so obvious that it’s “hardly worth mentioning, except as a reminder or as a rhetorical or literary device”, according to Wikipedia.

Like ravenous, rapacious, and voracious, the word edacious relates to having a big appetite. It’s defined as “devouring”, “consuming”, “greedy”, or “craving food in great quantities”. Sounds like somebody I know.

To commove is “to move violently; agitate; excite”.

To occlude is “to close, shut, or stop up”.