• tarnation • Pronunciation: tah(r)- ney -shên • Hear it! Part of Speech: Interjection & Mass Noun Meaning: 1. [Interjection] An exclamation of annoyance. 2. The act of condemning or the state of being condemned. Notes: Because of its oblique origin (see History), this word has no relatives. Th...

• stannous • Pronunciation: stæ -nês • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: Made of, containing, or otherwise pertaining to tin. Notes: The active ingredient in fluoride toothpaste is stannous fluoride (SnF2), an antimicrobial chemical that bonds with the enamel to deter the effects of the a...

• maquiladora • Pronunciation: mê-ki-lê- do -rê • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: A US or other foreign assembly plant located just below the Mexican border employing labor at a much cheaper rate than is possible north of the border. These factories assemble products that are then shipped no...

• sierra • Pronunciation: see- e -rê • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. A mountain range with a jagged line of peaks or ragged profile. 2. A west coast Spanish mackerel. Notes: Today's word is a beautiful Spanish gift to English that is used in many names by speakers, many of whom are prob...

• mollycoddle • Pronunciation: mah -li-kah-dêl • Hear it! Part of Speech: Verb, transitive & Noun Meaning: 1. [Verb] To pamper, to coddle, to treat in an overly protective way, as you would a child. 2. [Noun] An effeminate man or boy. Notes: A question I'm sure you often hear is, which is prefe...

• nacreous • Pronunciation: ney-kri-yês • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: 1. Comprising or resembling nacre, otherwise known as mother-of-pearl. 2. Lustrous with a play of rainbow colors, iridescent. Notes: The plethora of clippings like prof , rep , and pic suggest English speakers lik...

• concomitant • Pronunciation: kên- kah -mê-tênt • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: Accompanying, happening at the same time or as a result of something else. Notes: Today's word is the adjective of the unfortunately rarely used verb concomitate "to accompany" (the symptoms tha...

• sooth • Pronunciation: suth • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: The meaning of today's Good Word is, forsooth, none but "truth" and "reality". Notes: When I was in high school, the North Carolina legislature quite wisely mandated the teaching of one Shakespearean play eac...

• nemesis • Pronunciation: nem -ê-sis Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. An undefeatable archenemy, an unconquerable opponent. 2. A danger or threat to well-being. 3. Retribution, revenge, punishment. Notes: English words ending on -is [is] form their plurals by replacing this suffix with -es [eez], ...

• mufti • Pronunciation: mêf -tee • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. A Muslim legal advisor who writes fatwas, legal interpretations of the shari'a, the Islamic law. Fatwas are written for private clients and are generally binding in civil law but not in criminal cases. 2. Civilian clothes...

• recalcitrant • Pronunciation: ri- kæl -sê-trênt • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: 1. Unrelentingly defiant, rigidly obstinate or adamant, unwilling to give an inch, immovable, perversely refractory or intractable. 2. Unruly, ungovernable, willful, headstrong. Notes: Today's word is re...

• beck • Pronunciation: bek • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. A stream, brook, creek (the ordinary term in that area between Lincolnshire and Cumbria, occupied by the Danes and Norwegians in days gone by; see History for why). 2. The slightest gesture reflecting someone's will or desire, ...

• Juneteenth • Pronunciation: jun- teenth • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun, proper Meaning: Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. This African-American celebration remembers the day, June 19, 1865, when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached sl...

• godwottery • Pronunciation: gahd- wah -dêr-ee • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun, mass (No plural) Meaning: 1. A highly romantic, exaggeratedly elaborate garden, usually comprised of bizarrely incompatible plants and objects. 2. A love or affection for such gardens. 3. Effected, archaic language. No...

• eavesdrop • Pronunciation: eevz -drahp • Hear it! Part of Speech: Verb, intransitive Meaning: To secretly listen in on a conversation between other people. Notes: The term eavesdropping suggests far quainter times than we live in today, when people had to stand outside your house and press their ...