osculant (OS-kyuh-lunt), adjective
Describes a passionate kiss.
“He planted a hell of a kiss on me: lips, tongue, the entire OSCULANT assemblage.” – Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling mystery writer
osmosis (oz-MOW-sis), noun
A subtle and gradual assimilation of new knowledge based on one’s proximity to another with greater knowledge.
Just hanging out with Bob, who was an A student, seemed to help Vincent improve his grades, as if he was learning what Bob knew through OSMOSIS.
ostensibly (ah-STEN-sih-blee), adverb
Something that exists or has been done for what would seem an obvious reason.
The nouveau riche always seek to spend time with us, OSTENSIBLY to be absorbed into our world, but they will never fully be a part of our community.
ostentatious (ah-sten-TAY-shus), adjective
Pretentious; presented in a showy manner so as to impress others; visibly flaunting one’s wealth or success.
“The man who is OSTENTATIOUS of his modesty is twin to the statue that wears a fig-leaf.” – Mark Twain
ostracize (OS-truh-size), verb
To exclude from society, friendship, community, etc.
Once we learned that Sasha had been planting stories about us in the society pages, we, of course, had to OSTRACIZE her permanently from our group.
outré (oo-TRAY), adjective
Radically unconventional; outside the limits of expected conduct or behavior.
“One of life’s intriguing paradoxes is that hierarchical social order makes cheap rents and OUTRÉ artists’ colonies possible.” – Florence King, American author
overweening (OH-ver-WEE-ning), adjective
Extremely presumptuous, arrogant, and overconfident.
“Golf is an open exhibition of OVERWEENING ambition, courage deflated by stupidity, skill soured by a whiff of arrogance.” – Alistair Cooke, British-born American journalist and broadcaster
oxidation (oks-ih-DAY-shin), noun
A chemical reaction that increases the oxygen content of a compound or material.
When Carlton viewed the wreck of the Titanic from the window of a submersible, he was shocked to see how OXIDATION had ravaged the ship.
oxymoron (ok-see-MORE-on), noun
A phrase made by combining two words that are contradictory or incongruous.
Melissa sheepishly used the OXYMORON “accidentally on purpose” to explain to her father why her emergency credit card included a charge for $500 Manolo Blahnik heels.
“I want to kiss God on His nose
and watch Him sneeze / and so do
you. / Not out of disrespect. / Out
of PIQUE. / Out of a man-to-man
thing.”
Anne Sexton, American poet and author
P
palaver (pa-LAH-ver), noun
A rambling, meandering stream-of-consciousness conversation spoken to prove or make a point.
Don’t ask Eileen about collecting art. The result will be twenty minutes of mind-numbing PALAVER.
palimpsest (PAL-imp-sest), noun
A parchment manuscript on which the text is written over older, earlier text, much like an oil portrait or landscape painted over another painting.
The newest addition to the Pattersons’ rare manuscript collection turned out to be a PALIMPSEST, covering a text nearly 1,000 years old.
palindrome (pal-in-DROHM), noun
A word or sentence that reads the same forwards as backwards.
At private school, Evelyn learned about PALINDROMES, including, “Madam, I’m Adam.”
palliate (PAL-ee-ate), verb
To treat a patient so that his symptoms abate even though he still has the disease.
We introduced Amanda to Roberto, in attempt to PALLIATE the broken heart that Amanda suffered over her breakup with one of the scions of the Chesterfield family.
pallid (PAL-id), adjective
A wan, sickly, washed-out appearance indicating illness or weakness, or lack of energy, strength, and vitality.
Many of us maintain a PALLID pallor because we want to make it clear that we do not need to go outdoors unless we so choose.
palpable (PAL-pah-bull), adjective
Refers to something so strong or intense that its presence is impossible to ignore.
When Alistair did not give Lorissa the luxury watch she was expecting for her birthday, the silence was PALPABLE.
panacea (pan-uh-SEE-uh), noun
A universal solution for all problems, diseases, or woes.
Parents today see buying their kids everything they want as a PANACEA for misery, boredom, and unhappiness.
pandemic (pan-DEM-ik), noun
An outbreak of a disease that threatens to spread rapidly and endanger the population of an entire nation or planet.
Many scientists feared that Asian bird flu would become a pandemic.
Pangaea (pan-GEE-uh), noun
A single massive continent that comprised all the land on the Earth before the crust shifted and the Pangaea divided into many smaller continents.
The PANGAEA existed until Mesozoic times, when it divided into two separate continents.
panoply (PAN-oh-plee), noun
A complete or impressive collection; a splendid or abundant array.
The gallery offered a PANOPLY of African face masks.
pantheon (PAN-thee-on), noun
The group of all the gods of a particular religion or culture, or a group of important people in a particular field or region.
The sons of Odin, Thor and Loki, represent good and evil in the PANTHEON of the Norse gods.
paradigm (PAH-ruh-dyme), noun
An observation or discovery in conflict with known facts, beliefs, and theories.
The new PARADIGM for fashion, according to Sasha, is extremely expensive clothes that look as inexpensive as possible.
paradox (PAIR-uh-doks), noun
A seemingly absurd and self-contradicting situation that seems impossible but may in fact be true.
The article profiled a man who was a real PARADOX; he was grossly overweight, yet had tremendous athletic stamina.
parameter (pah-RAM-ih-terr), noun
A factor or variable that must be taken into account when solving a problem or understanding a situation.
The weight of Paul’s grand piano is a PARAMETER that must be taken into account when building the mansion’s new music room and ballroom.
parity (PAH-rih-tee), noun
The condition of everyone being more or less equal.
The firemen received a raise to help them achieve pay PARITY with the sanitation workers and police department.
parlance (PAR-lunss), noun
To speak in the vernacular or jargon used by a particular industry, profession, or group.
By using the terms “discourse,” “pedagogy,” and “literary criticism,” the professors spoke in the PARLANCE of academia.
parsimonious (par-sih-MOAN-ee-us), adjective
To be conservative in spending and tight with a dollar; to agree to part with money or other resources only grudgingly and after much cajoling.
Esmerelda can be surprisingly PARSIMONIOUS, considering that her family’s fortune is among the greatest possessed by our social contacts.
pathological (path-a-LODGE-ick-uhl), adjective
Compulsive in nature; possessing of a belief system or mindset that makes one unable to resist repetition of a particular type of behavior, e.g., a pathological liar.
Diane’s PATHOLOGICAL need for attention has caused her, on more than one occasion, to plant lies about herself in the society pages.
paucity (PAW-city), noun
A lack of something, a small supply or limited selection.
“It is very strange, and very melancholy, that the PAUCITY of human pleasures should persuade us ever to call hunting one of them.” – Samuel Johnson, British moralist and poet
pecuniary (
pih-KYOO-nee-air-ee), adjective
Something related to money.
Because all of Craig’s articles had a strong PECUNIARY slant, his editor moved him from the features page to the finance page.
pedagogue (PED-ah-gog), noun
A strict, humorless, no-nonsense teacher.
“The negative cautions of science are never popular. If the experimentalist would not commit himself, the social philosopher, the preacher, and the PEDAGOGUE tried the harder to give a short-cut answer.” – Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist
pedantry (PEH-dan-tree), noun
An obsessive behavior of being proper and technically correct down to the last detail.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge defined PEDANTRY as “the use of words unsuitable to the time, place, and company.”
pejorative (pih-JOR-a-tiv), adjective
Insulting; meant as a put-down or to belittle the other person.
“Wordsmith” is a corporate term used to denote someone who is a good writer, but professional writers see it as PEJORATIVE.
penitent (PEN-ih-tent), adjective
Feeling sorry and regretful that you have done something wrong.
According to Ambrose Bierce’s jaded view, the PENITENT are typically those undergoing or awaiting punishment.
penultimate (pen-UHL-tah-met), adjective
Next to last in importance.
The Whittingtons’ Christmas gala is the PENULTIMATE party of the social season.
per capita (per-KA-pih-tah), adjective
Per person; pertaining to a single individual.
We find it satisfying to mull over the fact that the PER CAPITA income among our social contacts is greater than that of many countries.
perfervid (per-FUR-vid), adjective
Overly intense and passionate; overblown and dramatic.
We laughed at the distastefully PERFERVID love letters that Roland sent to Germaine.
perfunctory (per-FUNK-ter-ee), adjective
Implemented or executed quickly, without much care or thought put into it.
“The tale is so contrived and PERFUNCTORY that many readers will be tempted to skip to the real story in the second half of the book.” – Tim Parks, British novelist
peripatetic (per-ih-pa-TET-ik), adjective
Someone who wanders from career to career, job to job, company to company, or place to place, seemingly without a clear goal or definiteness of purpose.
While waiting to receive his trust fund at age thirty, Giles lived a PERIPATETIC lifestyle.
periphery (puh-RIFF-uh-ree), noun
The outermost part or boundary; the outside edge.
Craig’s plans are always on the PERIPHERY of what could charitably be called normal behavior.
permeate (PUR-mee-ayt), verb
To penetrate; to spread throughout.
The scent of Donna’s exclusive perfume quickly PERMEATED the entrance hall of the Blakelys’ stately home.
pernicious (purr-NISH-us), adjective
Resulting in damage or harm; having a debilitating effect.
We believe that, once the producers of luxury items become publicly traded companies, the results will be PERNICIOUS.
perturbation (purr-ter-BAY-shun), noun
Originally used to describe the phenomenon of one planet’s gravitational field throwing another planet’s orbit slightly out of kilter. Today, perturbation refers more generally to any disturbance that alters the normal state or function of a system, moving object, person, or process.
“O polished PERTURBATION! golden care! / That keep’st the ports of slumber open wide / To many a watchful night.” – William Shakespeare
petulant (PET-chew-lant), adjective
Describes someone who sulks, complains, or whines because he or she is acting immaturely or is ill-tempered.
Emma was sick and tired of her husband’s PETULANT pouting.
phalanx (FAY-lanks), noun
A large division or group of soldiers grouped closely together in an orderly fashion for marching or fighting.
Philip of Macedon armed each man with a long spear so the PHALANX bristled like a porcupine.
Pharisee (FAH-ree-see), noun
A person who is self-righteous and hypocritical.
The state Attorney General was a PHARISEE who prosecuted others for the same crimes he was secretly committing himself.
philanthropist (fill-ANN-throw-pist), noun
A person who generously gives his or her time, energy, and money to charity.
Bill Gates is the most proactive PHILANTHROPIST out of all the billionaires who care to invest their time in contributing to charitable causes.
philistine (FILL-ih-steen), noun
A crude and ignorant person who is disinterested in and does not appreciate culture and the arts.
“A PHILISTINE is a full-grown person whose interests are of a material and commonplace nature, and whose mentality is formed of the stock ideas and conventional ideals of his or her group and time.” – Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-American novelist
phoenix (FEE-niks), noun
A mythical bird about the size of an eagle, but with brilliantly colored plumage, that dies by fire and then is reborn from the ashes.
One day the PHOENIX appeared in the forests of France, and legend has it that all the other birds became instantly jealous.
pied-a-terre (pyed-ah-TARE), noun
A second home or apartment, usually small, used as a place to stay for short trips to the location in lieu of renting a hotel room.
We were amazed that Alison and her family could survive in a PIED-A-TERRE containing just 2,500 square feet.
Devoutly religious behavior, especially when exhibited publicly to let others know how pious you are.
“The path of true PIETY is so plain as to require but little political direction.” – George Washington
pique (PEEK), noun, verb
To generate interest or curiosity; a feeling of annoyance resulting from a perceived insult or injustice.
“I want to kiss God on His nose and watch Him sneeze / and so do you. / Not out of disrespect. / Out of PIQUE. / Out of a man-to-man thing.” – Anne Sexton, American poet and author
plethora (PLETH-uh-ruh), noun
An excessive amount of something.
Agnes tried a PLETHORA of wines before she finally decided on her favorite vintage.
pluralism (PLOOR-al-iz-im), noun
The understanding and tolerance of a diversity of differing cultures and views within a single society.
As long as someone comes from a family of high-standing, we wholeheartedly embrace PLURALISM.
polemic (pah-LEM-ik), noun
A long, rambling speech or diatribe, the goal of which is to prove a point or sway the listener to see your point of view.
“He had a strong will and a talent for POLEMIC.” – Saul Bellow, American author
polymath (POHL-ee-math), noun
A person with a wide range of intellectual interests or a broad base of knowledge in many different disciplines.
“I had a terrible vision: I saw an encyclopedia walk up to a POLYMATH and open him up.” – Karl Kraus, Austrian writer
polyphonic (pahl-ee-FAHN-ik), adjective
Having many different sounds.
“The guitar is a small orchestra. It is POLYPHONIC. Every string is a different color, a different voice.” – Andres Segovia, Spanish classical guitarist
populism (POP-you-liz-um), noun
A political movement or policy that appeals to the masses—the average working man or woman—not the upper class.
“Being naked approaches being revolutionary; going barefoot is mere POPULISM.” – John Updike, American novelist and literary critic
portent (poor-TENT), noun
A warning sign that something bad is going to happen.
In Ray Bradbury’s novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, the carnival coming to town
is a PORTENT of evil things to come.
posit (PAHZ-it), verb
To suggest or propose a theory or explanation, especially one that represents new, unusual, or non-obvious thinking and conclusions.
Astronomers POSIT that Jupiter may sustain life in its clouds.
postulate (PA-stew-late), verb
To arrive at a theory, belief, hypothesis, or principle based upon an analysis of known facts.
“The primacy of human personality has been a POSTULATE both of Christianity and of liberal democracy.” – Julian Huxley, English evolutionary biologist
potentate (POH-ten-tayt), noun
A powerful dictator, king, leader, or ruler.
A much-feared POTENTATE, Victor Von Doom ruled Latvia with an iron fist.
pragmatism (PRAG-muh-tiz-um), noun
The belief that one’s actions should be guided primarily based on knowledge or opinion of what is likely to work best in a given situation; the imperative to always do what is practical and effective.
Our families have succeeded in amassing great wealth over many generations because we are all, at heart, practitioners of PRAGMATISM.
prattle (PRAT-l), verb
To babble; to talk nonstop without regard as to whether what you are saying makes sense or is of any interest to the listener.
“Infancy conforms to nobody: all conform to it, so that one babe commonly makes four or five out of the adults who PRATTLE and play to it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet, essayist, and transcendentalist
precarious (prih-KAYR-ee-us), adjective
Tenuous; positioned so as to be in danger of falling; unsecured.
“Existence is no more than the PRECARIOUS attainment of relevance in an intensely mobile flux of past, present, and future.” – Susan Sontag, American literary theorist, philosopher, and political activist
precipitous (pri-SIP-ih-tuss), adjective
A steep drop, precarious position, unstable situation, volatile market, or rapid and sudden change.
Investors were stung Friday by a PRECIPITOUS drop in the Dow.
predestination (pree-dess-tih-NAY-shun), noun
The belief that we do not have free will, and that our lives and destinies are preordained and beyond our control.