Word of the Week 2009-2010

1. Word of the Week 2009-2010

2. Week of 6/14 liberate(v) – to set free or release, as from imprisonment Students are looking forward to being liberated from homework over the summer months. Word origin: Latin

3. kinsfolk(n) – relatives Billy was excitedly waiting by the door for his kinsfolk to arrive. Word origin: Old English Week of 6/7

4. Week of 6/1 jovial(adj) – merry; characterized by joyous humor The jovial child could not contain his excitement when he saw his birthday present. Word origin: Latin

5. intricate (adj) – complicated; highly detailed The spider wove an intricate web. Word origin: Latin Week of 5/24

6. Week of 5/17 hinder(v) – to obstruct The threat of a bad storm most likely will hinder progress of the mountain climbers. Word origin: Old English

7. gullible(adj) – easily deceived or cheated The gullible child believed that the person in the costume was a real monster. Word origin: Latin Week of 5/10

8. Week of 5/3 facade(n) – the face of a building Behind the decrepit façade of the old castle, lies treasures of another era. Word origin: French

9. elicit(v) – to bring forth Ms. McNally tried to elicit strong arguments for the mock trial from her students. Word origin: Greek Week of 4/26

10. Week of 4/19 diligent(adj) – constant in effort to accomplish something The diligent student worked hard to finish her homework for class. Word origin: Middle English

11. copious(adj) – large in quantity or number; abundant; plentiful Dan took copious notes in Science so he had all the information for the test. Word origin: Latin Week of 4/12

12. Week of 4/5 bequeath(v) – to pass on, give Jon’s father bequeathed his entire estate to his mother. Word origin: Middle English

13. authentic(adj) – genuine, real An authentic Mark McGwire rookie card is probably worth a lot of money. Word origin: Greek Week of 3/22

14. Week of 3/16 zenith(n) – the highest point or state; the peak The climbers were excited to reach the zenithof Mount Everest. Word origin: Latin

15. yearn (v) – to have an earnest or strong desire After all of the snow, Kelsey yearns for a vacation on a warm, sunny island. Word origin: Old English Week of 3/8

16. Week of 3/1 warily(adv) – in a watchful way The elderly man warily walked on the snow-covered sidewalks, hoping not to fall. Word origin: Latin

17. virtuoso (n) – a highly skilled individual Suzy, a six-year old virtuoso, played a symphony from Mozart and won the competition. Word origin: Latin Week of 2/22

18. Week of 2/16 ultimatum (n) – a final statement or proposal, as concerning terms or conditions After Joey’s mom saw his closet, she gave him an ultimatum: clean your closet or no computer for a week. Word origin: Latin

19. terse(adj) – concise, brief, free of extra words Barry’s terse style of writing was widely praised for getting directly to the point. Word origin: Latin Week of 2/8

20. Week of 2/1 suppress(v) – to restrain; to stop The doctor applied pressure to Bobby’s wound to suppress the bleeding. Word origin: Latin

21. reprehensible(adj) – very bad; blameworthy The students were suspended because of their reprehensible behavior. Word origin: Latin Week of 1/25

22. Week of 1/19 procrastinate(v) – to put off doing something until the future; to postpone or delay needlessly Since Sal procrastinated, he was up until midnight finishing his science project. Word origin: Latin

23. opulent (adj) – wealthy When Bob explored the historic castle, he could quickly see what an opulent setting it had once been. Word origin: Latin Week of 1/11

24. Week of 1/4 nostalgia(n) – longing for the past Barb was filled with nostalgia when she thought about her summers at the beach. Word origin: Greek

25. melancholy (adj) – sad; morose The puppy was melancholy because he was locked in his cage all day. Word origin: Greek Week of 12/14

26. Week of 12/7 luxuriant(adj) – lush; full; plentiful Tina brushed her luxuriant hair while looking at herself in the mirror. Word origin: Latin

27. kudos (n) – praise for an achievement After the performance, the reviewers gave the lead singer kudos for a job well done. Word origin: Greek Week of 11/30

28. Week of 11/16 jubilation(n) – expression of great joy; exultation There was much jubilation in the crowd when Westbrook scored the winning touchdown. Word origin: Latin

29. intrepid(adj) – fearless The intrepid reporter went behind enemy lines to get the best stories. Word origin: Latin Week of 11/9

30. Week of 11/2 heptagon(n) – a figure having seven sides and seven angles. When Mrs. Kindred was teaching polygons, she had the students draw a heptagon. Word origin: Greek

31. glutton (n) – one who eats too much If you go out for Halloween, don’t be a glutton by eating all of the candy that night. Word origin: Latin Week of 10/26

32. Week of 10/19 frugal(adj) – conservative in spending; thrifty The frugal woman had millions in the bank, but only bought items on sale. Word origin: Latin

33. embellish (v) – to decorate or add untrue but interesting details George embellished his story about why his homework was missing with details about his hungry dog. Word origin: Latin Week of 10/13

34. Week of 10/5 deplete(v) – to use up; exhaust Jane’s energy was depleted after running laps during soccer practice. Word origin: Latin

35. concise (adj) – brief and to the point The morning announcements are usually clear and concise. Week of 9/29

36. Week of 9/21 benevolent(adj) – good-willed; kind Mrs. Kelley is a benevolent nurse, always helping sick and injured students.

37. Week of 9/14 absolve(v) – to forgive, free from blame After the boy explained to the principal why he was late, he was absolved of all blame.