by Dwane | Sep 8, 2014 | Greek, Vocabulary
by Dwane | Sep 8, 2014 | Education, Greek, Vocabulary
Acrobat: An athlete able to perform daring gymnastic feats; a gymnast; a tightrope walker, a funambulist. There is a secondary definition of this word. An acrobat could also be someone known to change his mind, or allegiance. From Greek ἀκροβάτης (walking on...
by Dwane | Sep 8, 2014 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Exacerbate: to irritate; to exasperate; to inflame angry passions; to make a problem worse. Complaining about you problems rarely improves your plight. In fact, complaining usually exacerbates the problem. Exacerbate comes from the Latin verb exacerbare (to irritate,...
by Dwane | Sep 6, 2014 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Not every word made it into the new series, Word Up. There are so many that didn’t make it, that I have decided to start a new Chalkboard playlist! Let me know what you...
by Dwane | Sep 6, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
Acmopetala – pointed petals. The fritillaria acmopetala is a flower of the easter Mediterranean. You can identify it by the pointed flower petals. This is the source of the scientific name, acmopetala. Acmopetala comes from the Greek ἀκμή (point; top), and...
by Dwane | Sep 6, 2014 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Acerbic: sharp criticism; sarcasm; witty criticism, often funny, but always harsh. Acerbic once meant, sour tasting, or bitter. Over time, the word turned into an adjective attached to “wit”. When we describe someone with “Acerbic wit”, we are describing someone...
