The Maple Tree

Quercus acerfolia: The oak with sharp leaves.  This particular tree, sometimes called the the maple-leaved oak, is native to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, in the United States. Quercus is the Latin word for “oak”.  You have seen the word before in the name of a...

Acrobat

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...

Exacerbate

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,...

Words, words, words…

“Words matter.  They help us define meaning.  We think with words.  We learn with words.  Words are the fundamental tools we use for communicating.  If we use them well, we can cut, and shape, and polish our ideas precisely, and beautifully.  If we use them...