To Be Precise: Confessions of a Logomaniac

Words engage my interest. An hour’s study of one of my thesauri is time well spent. Dictionary definitions often obfuscate the delicate nuances; gentle coaxing achieves precise meaning.  Some words are confused or misused. Differences can be subtle. Here are some words that are sometimes confused with each other, occasionally misused, or shaded. Some are common, others arguable, a few intriguing.

Adverse, Averse:  Adverse which means harmful, unfavorable, or antagonistic should not be used to refer to people, but, rather, to things that are contrary to one’s interests. Averse implies opposition, a strong disinclination to do something. Averse is used with reference to people. She is averse to speculation in banking stocks. Adverse weather conditions caused our flight to be canceled.

Among, Between: Among is normally used to indicate inclusion within a group of more than two but can also be used when entities are considered as a mass or collection. Between separates, compares, or connects two things, or more when entities are considered as distinct. My choice among entrees was overwhelming. You must decide between MS Explorer and FireFox as your default browser. The UFO landed between the house, shed, and garage.

Amount, Number: Amount is used for bulk quantities; number for countable quantities. A large number of yen and euros make a large amount of currency.

Apogee, Perigee:  These are opposite terms. Apogee is the farthest point in the orbit of a planet around another body. It can also be considered to mean “highest.” The perigee occurs when the planetary orbit is closest to that body. Perigee is less commonly defined as “lowest.”  Are the tides lower when the moon is at its apogee in its orbit around the earth? Be sure to see Mars tonight; it is at its perigee with respect to the earth.

Auspicious, Propitious: Auspicious indicates that things are favorable for some future event. It carries with it the suggestion of something important. Propitious describes favorable conditions at this point in time. The shaman declared all signs auspicious for the success of tomorrow’s hunt. Tonight’s new moon was propitious for the air drop of supplies the rebels so badly needed.

Biannual, Biennial: A biannual sale occurs twice a year, or semi-annually. A biennial plant flowers every other year. Hollyhocks are biennial flowers that can be planted biannually for early and late bloom.

Burglary, Robbery: Breaking and entering with intent to commit a crime like theft is termed a burglary. In a robbery the thief directly takes another’s property by force or threat of force. A neighbor reported a probable burglary in progress when she saw a door ajar in the empty house next door. The masked man robbed the couple of their money, jewelry, and credit cards.

Complement, Compliment: An item chosen to complete, augment or accompany something will complement that item. A compliment is an expression or act of praise, courtesy or respect. I complimented the hostess on her choice of complementary sauces for the rack of lamb.

Cement, Concrete: Cement is a powdery ingredient used with water and sand to make concrete. He needed six bags of cement to mix for the concrete sidewalk.

Disinterest, Indifferent:  Disinterest implies having no self-interest in something. Indifferent implies having no care for something at all. The petitioners agreed that only a disinterested arbitrator would be allowed to facilitate the settlement. As I do not ride, I am indifferent to your choice of saddle for the gymkhana.

Emergency, Crisis: While both are serious situations, emergencies must be dealt with urgently. Crises are grave situations indicating a turning point on which everything may depend. The assignation of Archduke Ferdinand created a crisis that led to World War I. The evacuation of British forces at Dunkirk in World War II was an emergency.

Exiguous, Exigent: Exiguous means scant or meager. Exigent is an adjective indicating some urgency or demand for action. The extremely exiguous state of the homeless family created an exigent response at the shelter.

Gaff, Gaffe: A gaff is fishing apparatus. Gaffe is an error. He realized his gaffe when he handed me the net instead of the gaff to hook the grouper.

Flammable, Inflammable: Flammable items are easily ignited and are capable of burning rapidly. Inflammable means exactly the same thing. The prefix “in” does not mean “not.” It means “in flame.”  If something is not easily ignited it is non-flammable. Parents should avoid purchasing both flammable and inflammable sleepwear for their children.

Hanged, Hung: Pictures are hung; people are hanged. ‘Nuf said.

Hellenic, Hellenist: The Hellenic period covers Greek history and culture before the conquests of Alexander the Great. Thereafter the period is properly referred to as Hellenistic. The urn dates from the Hellenic period approximately 550 BCE. His poetry was written in 149 CE and is a fine example of Hellenistic letters.

Infer, Imply:  Infer means to reach a conclusion based on evidence, reason or deduction when drawing conclusions that are not explicit. Imply refers to understanding something based on implication without being stated outright. The jury inferred the defendant’s guilt after hearing all the evidence. The scowl on the lawyer’s face implied he was unhappy with their decision.

Invent, Discover: One can discover something that was hidden but a person invents things that did not exist before. Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays. The slinky and the telegraph were invented by clever individuals.

Jewel, Gem: A jewel can be a precious stone, a precious stone in an ornament of some kind, or a precious stone used in a watch or other precision instrument. A gem is a cut precious stone or an engraved precious stone. That is a ten jeweled timepiece you’re wearing. The marquis cut diamond gem shone brilliantly.

Lie, Lay, Lie: 1) Lie means to speak falsely. Lie, Lied, Lied.  2) Lay means to place something. It requires a direct object. Lay, Laid, Laid. 3) Lie means to recline or rest horizontally. It does not take a direct object. Lie, Lay, Lain. As he lie (3) on the couch, John lied (1) when he said that he laid (2) the book on the shelf.

Libel, Slander: While both are the defamation of another libel is written, published or broadcast by official media. Slander is oral defamation answerable in a civil court. Libel would be tried in a criminal court. The explorer’s slanderous accusations did not convince his partner to retract his potentially libelous description of what happened in his book about their expedition.

Loath, Loathe:  One who is reluctant is described as loath. To feel intense hatred or dislike for someone or something is to loathe it. John was loath to leave his driver’s license with the librarian. No matter how hard I try I simply loathe asparagus.

Majority, Plurality: A majority consists of any amount over 50%. A plurality is the highest of three or more candidates when none received a majority. Alice won a majority of votes with 60% choosing her for mayor. Theo’s plurality of 34% was enough to earn him a spot in the run-off election for alderman of the Fourth Ward.

Percent, Percentage: Percent is used with a specific number. Use percentage when no number is specified. Marie scored 86% on her math test. What percentage of the corn crop is being sold for ethanol?

Politician, Statesman: These words carry different connotations. Politician can be used disparaging, implying scheming for one’s own ends. Statesman is never used disparagingly. It implies wisdom and foresight in one dedicated to the interests of his country or party. George Marshall was a statesman; Joseph McCarthy a politician.

Recant, Retract: To deny one’s words or to go back on something one said is to recant one’s words. Retract one’s statement is to withdraw it so that the situation remains as it was before your statement. Howard recanted his promise to keep silent when questioned by the authorities. The newspaper retracted its endorsement of the incumbent and blew the race for governor wide open.

Solecism, Solipsism: A solecism is an error or mistake. It can apply to mistakes in grammar, syntax, manners, or etiquette. Solipsism is the belief that the only truth one can be sure of is that one exists, all else is speculation. Eating artichokes while wearing white gloves is a solecism but it is solipsistic to think no one else is in the dining room to see you do it. 

Soufflé, Mousse: A mousse is a light, sweet pudding made with cream, beaten whole eggs, and gelatin that is served cold. A soufflé is a puffy, light, and savory baked dish made from beaten egg whites and containing fish, cheese, etc. that is usually served warm. A dessert of chocolate mousse followed the main course of salmon soufflé.

Unconsciously, subconsciously: When one acts unconsciously, they do something without realizing that they are doing it. A subconscious act is one performed without full knowledge of why it is done. I must have been unconscious when I put the cat in the refrigerator. He subconsciously cracked his knuckles despite his promise to be very quiet.

Vocabulary Quiz 4

This is the last. It has been fun creating the quizzes; mostly because it enabled me to re-visit the words I’ve been collecting throughout the years. I hope you enjoyed them, and discovered a few useful words to add to your vocabulary. If you’re a real word fanatic, go back through the quizzes and identify the 5 answers in each quiz that did not match one of the words. Try to find the word that is defined by the unused answers. You’re on your own, however, because this is where I stop. As usual there are 20 words and 25 answers. Five of the definitions will not apply.

1) quiddity 2) recondite 3) revenant 4) sapid 5) serried 6) solecism
7) stochastic 8) sumptuary 9) telluric 10) tergiversator 11) termagant
12) thaumaturgy 13) threnody 14) traduce 15) trenchant 16) usufruct
17) velleity 18) withes 19) xoanon 20) zymotic


A) dirge; B) caused by fermentation; C) overabundance D) essential nature of something; inconsequential distinction; E) keen, cutting; F) last speaker in program; G) carved statue of a deity, usually made of wood; H) wish without action to achieve it; I) dealing with matters that require profound or specialized knowledge; J) artificial sweetener; K) involving random or probabilistic behavior; L) working of miracles; M) flagrant grammatical error; N) shrewish woman; O) make disparaging personal remarks; P) fertilized ovum; Q) ghost who appears many years after death; R) terrestrial, from the earth; S) stems or twigs used to bind materials together; T) very crowded; U) theory that only the self exists; V) flavorful, tasty; W) one who changes sides in a cause, or makes ambiguous statements; X) limiting budget; Y) legal use of another’s possessions or profit.


ANSWERS: 1-D; 2-I; 3-Q; 4-V; 5-T; 6-M; 7-K; 8-X; 9-R; 10-W; 11-N; 12-L; 13-A; 14-O; 15-E; 16-Y; 17-H; 18-S; 19-G; 20-B.

Vocabulary Quiz 3

You should find this quiz easier than the previous two, but nonetheless useful. The same format will be used with 20 words and 25 answers. Five of the answers will not apply.

1) maieutic 2) meretricious 3) minatory 4) moiety 5) mordant 6) nacre 7) nielloed 8) nugatory 9) obloquy 10) obsecration 11) obviate 12) optative 13) otiose 14) panegyric 15) parthenogenic 16) pasquinade 17) peroration 18) perspicacious 19) prolix 20) psephology


A) cannon volley; B) worthless; C) long and wordy; D) study of elections; E) fiery; F) Socratic method of inquiry intended to bring out latent ideas by asking questions; G) flashy, tawdry; H) formal praise; I) development of an egg without male fertilization; J) verb mood indicating the expression of a wish; K) slander, defamation; L) study of sub-atomic particles; M) biting sarcasm; N) indolent, without purpose; O) publicly posted, usually anonymous, lampoon; P) threatening; Q) act of beseeching; R) dental procedure; S) either of two parts, not necessarily equal; T) black ornamental work filling an incised design; U) separation of genetic material; V) discerning, penetrating understanding; W) mother of pearl; X) end of an oratory, summing up of points in a speech; Y) make unnecessary, get rid of

ANSWERS: 1-F; 2-G; 3-P; 4-S; 5-M; 6-W; 7-T; 8-B; 9-K; 10-Q; 11-Y; 12-J; 13-N; 14-H; 15-I; 16-O; 17-X; 18-V; 19-C; 20-D.

Vocabulary Quiz 2

I hope you enjoyed the first quiz and, maybe, learned a new word or two. It was good practice for me to consult my spiral notebook and review the words I’ve entered throughout the years. If you don’t use the words everyday, they you will need to review periodically. Again I have 20 words and 25 definitions. Not all of the definitions will be used.

1) coign 2) exegete 3) gambol 4) garrulity 5) gravid 6) hortatory 7) immure 8) imprecate 9) ineluctability 10) instantiate 11) inveigh 12) inveigle 13) jeremiad 14) koine 15) labile 16) lagniappe 17) lambent 18) lethe 19) litotes 20) lucubrations

A) Neapolitan secret society B) denounce, criticize C) frolic, skip playfully D) understatement for emphasis by substituting the affirmative with the negative E) glowing, softly radiant F) pertaining to clocks G) inescapable H) complimentary gift with purchase I) endow J) pregnant , burdened K) oblivion, dreamy state L) to represent by concrete example M) urging, exhorting N) fresco preparation O) lament P) unstable, likely to change Q) curse, invoke against R) drench S) entice, wheedle T) regional dialects and tongues that become standard language for larger populace U) literary effort resulting from prolonged research, like a dissertation V) unrestrained talkativeness W) one who discourses as an expert, especially in religion X) favorable observation post or vantage point Y) imprison, enclose

Answers: 1-X; 2-W; 3-C; 4-V; 5-J; 6-M; 7-Y; 8-Q; 9-G; 10-L; 11-B; 12-S; 13-O; 14-T; 15-P; 16-H; 17-E; 18-K; 19-D; 20-U.

Vocabulary Quiz 1

Years ago I worked as a psychometrist, writing tests for a governmental entity. Constructing a good test is both an art and a technical skill. The test writer must be sure that answer choices do not lead the subject to the answer (a 3-1 split), or provide more than one correct choice (2-2 dilemma). You might not believe it, but a well constructed true/false test is the most difficult test to take.

I’ve never lost my fascination for test construction. I’ve used tests, disguised as puzzles, to teach special education children in junior high and one to use as an ice breaker for an employee gathering. I often create some sort of bibliographic “quiz” or puzzle when doing book displays at the library. There has been a Sherlock Holmes Jumble, a crossword to celebrate the town’s 100th anniversary, a classic mystery writer/detective challenge, and several specialized crosswords, amongst others. This vocabulary quiz will hopefully satisfy my continuing need to create a challenging puzzle cum quiz and provide a venue for others to increase their word power.

Building a vocabulary that is precise, varied, and powerful can become an enjoyable exercise. How does one find words that mean exactly what you intend? A key method is to read good authors. Although many might not agree with what he writes, William F. Buckley, Jr. has provided me with a plethora of choice words. There are many other authors who do not lower their standards or “talk down” to their readers. When I read their books, I keep a blank bookmark as a place keeper and jot down a word I don’t understand along with the page it’s on for context. I usually look the words up when I’ve finished the book, but sometimes it is necessary to run to the unabridged dictionary before you can continue reading with comprehension. Such a practice is enjoyable and educational.

What follows is the first of a number of vocabulary quizzes. There are 20 words and 25 definitions--not all will be used. At the end of the piece I have the answers. Hope you find a few new ones to make your own! The best way to do that is to use each in a sentence you create. Send me a sample.

1) anagnorisis 2) apothegm 3) apotropaic 4) atavistic 5) boustrophedon
6) brumous 7) bowdlerize 8) caducity 9) captious 10) condign 11) corybantic 12) defalcation 13) delator 14) deracinated 15) eidolon 16) eristic 17) esurient 18) execrable 19) fatidic 20) febrile

a) fragility of old age and senility; b) controversial; c) expurgate as in censorship; d) critical moment of recognition; e) dull, impassive; f) feverish; g) misty or foggy, especially in winter; h) urgent; i) uprooted, extirpated; j) integrity, honesty; k) completely abhorrent; l) greedy, hungry; m) caused by fermentation; n) frenzied; o) protective for warding off evil; p) misappropriation of money held in trust, or by officials; q) reversion to primitive or more remote ancestor; r) prophetic; s) pithy, terse remark; t) phantom or apparition; u) medical process; v) writing that runs left to right and then right to left; w) excessive fault finding in order to confuse opponent in an argument; x) informer; y) deservedly severe punishment

Answers: 1-d; 2-s; 3-o; 4-q; 5-v; 6-g; 7-c; 8-a; 9-w; 10-y; 11-n; 12-p; 13-x; 14-i; 15-t; 16-b; 17-l; 18-k; 19-r; and 20-f.