Language Archives

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”.

It’s that time of year again — time for National Novel Writing Month! To commemorate my second year of NaNoveling, I found a new literary word: belletristic, meaning “written and regarded for aesthetic value rather than content”.

The most general definition of a hat trick is “Three consecutive wins or outstanding accomplishments by the same individual”. Even less specifically, it can mean “a clever or adroitly deceptive maneuver”.

Enmity (or enmities, plural) is “a feeling or condition of hostility; hatred; ill will; animosity; antagonism”.

Here’s an odd-sounding word: aegis, pronounced ee-jis or ay-jis. It’s a noun meaning “protection; support” or “sponsorship; auspices”. The word comes from Greek mythology, where it means “the shield or breastplate of Zeus or Athena, bearing at its center the head of the Gorgon”.

To conflate is “to bring together; meld or fuse”.

Cogency means “the quality or state of being convincing or persuasive”. The adjective cogent is more common than the noun, and it means “convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation”.