It's been 8 years, so it's probably safe to talk about it now...

The very first question I had on my GRE the last time I took it in July 2001 was about this word:

fatuous • \FATCH-oo-us\ • adjective
: complacently or inanely foolish : silly

I have no idea if I got it right or not.

Class starts next week, so I'm trying to make some progress on my word list... expect a couple more.

lief-- 1. Beloved, dear, agreeable, acceptable, precious. Also lief and dear. a. In attrib. use. Obs. exc. arch. b. Used in addressing a person. Obs. c. In predicative use. Const. dat. or to, unto, esp. in liefer was, were, to me, him, etc. with inf. or clause as subject d. In various constructions with have (see HAVE 22, and cf. G. lieb haben, Du. liefhebben): I (etc.) had (occas. have) as lief as, I had (occas. have) liefer (than), liefest, with object a n., inf. phrase (with or without to), or subordinate clause. Also in catachrestic constructions 4. absol. a. (When used in addressing a superior = Sir! Sire! Lord!) Obs. b. quasi-n. A beloved, a dear one; a friend, sweetheart, mistress; occas. a wife. Similarly in the compar., one who is dearer. Obs. B. adv. Dearly, gladly, willingly. Chiefly with would, pa. subj. (occas. Sc. with omission of would). Also in as lief (as), the liefer; lief I were = I would gladly be.

columbarium -- 1. A vault with niches for storing urns. 2. A dovecote or pigeon house.

meronym -- 1. A word denoting the mid point of two extremes. rare. 2. Linguistics. A word denoting an object which forms part of another object. Cf. MERONYMY n.

grey-back, greyback -- 1. U.S. colloq. A Confederate soldier in the American Civil War. 2. U.S. Cf. GREENBACK. 3. dial. and U.S. colloq. A louse. 4. A name of various birds. a. The Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix. Also greyback crow. b. U.S. The North American Knot, Trigla canutus. c. dial. and U.S. The scaup duck, Fuligula marila. 5. U.S. The grey whale

haka -- A Maori ceremonial posture dance accompanied by chanting; one danced by members of a sports team, etc.

schwerpunkt -- The point of focus; an area of concentrated effort, especially in a military operation.

epistolary -- 1. Of or relating to letters.2. Composed of letters (as a literary work).

cormorant -- 1. Any species of Phalacrocorax, a genus of sea birds having a sac under the beak; the shag. Cormorants devour fish voraciously, and have become the emblem of gluttony. They are generally black, and hence are called sea ravens, and coalgeese. 2. A gluttonous, greedy, or rapacious person.

quodlibet -- 1. A subtle argument, especially on a theological or philosophical issue. 2. A musical medley: a whimsical combination of popular tunes.

inanition -- 1. The condition or quality of being empty. 2. Exhaustion, as from lack of nourishment. 3. Lack of vitality or spirit.

dermatoglyphics -- 1. The ridge patterns of skin on the inner surface of the hands and feet. 2. The scientific study of these skin patterns.

mathematicaster -- A minor or incompetent mathematician. (ooh! insult for a smart person!)

lepidopterology -- The study of butterflies and moths.

prakriti -- 1. Matter, nature; (esp. in Sankhya philosophy) one of two principles which, when united with the other (soul or purusha) in three different qualities (gunas), gives rise to the world. 2. This principle as a constituent of the self or of human nature; (in Ayurvedic medicine) a person's constitutional type.

subintelligitur -- Something that is not stated but understood.

infundibuliform -- Funnel-shaped. (um, I think I will just say "funnel-shaped"!)

pied-a-terre -- A place of lodging for temporary or secondary use.

clou -- A major point of interest, or a central idea.

au fait -- Being well-informed or skillful in something.

moue -- Pout; grimace. (A good Scrabble word for when you have too many vowels!)

bon ton -- 1. Good form or style. 2. Something regarded as fashionably right. 3. High society.

peculate -- to steal money or goods entrusted to one; embezzle

contumacious -- Stubborn, insubordinate.

God's acre -- A cemetery, especially one next to a church.

mug's game -- A foolish or futile activity.

sword of Damocles -- An ever-present threat; an impending disaster.

eikonal -- n. The optical path length of a ray between specified points in the object and image spaces; more widely, a function of position denoting the time taken by a wave-front to reach a specified point. 1. Physics. Designating an equation which expresses the eikonal in terms of the wave velocity. 2. Particle Physics. Of, pertaining to, or designating a method of approximating the behaviour of particles by the use of eikonals.

froward -- not easily managed; contrary

motty -- 1. Mining. A miner's tally; a stick of wood or disc of metal, notched or stamped in a particular way, placed on a full corf to identify it as the work of a certain miner. 2. A word, opinion; esp. in to put one's motty in: to stick one's oar in, to interfere.

Okay, that's enough for now.

I'm still too far behind on my list, so here goes...

fosse -- 1. An excavation narrow in proportion to its length; a canal, ditch, or trench; A ditch or dike formed to serve as a barrier against an advancing foe, a moat surrounding a fortified place; a. A deep hole dug in the ground; a pit. Also, a burying-ground, grave; A pit in which women condemned for felony were drowned; 4. A waterway or navigable channel; 5. An abyss, chasm, or gulf; as foss-ditch; foss-work, Hist. (Feudal), work done on the town foss. (this is used on Mars and other planets for channels.)

yegg -- a burglar who robs safes; safecracker

xanthous -- yellow; yellowish

imprimis -- In the first place.

handsel, hansel -- Lucky prognostic, omen, presage, augury; token or omen of good luck; A gift or present (expressive of good wishes) at the beginning of a new year, or on entering upon any new condition, situation, or circumstances, the donning of new clothes, etc.; originally, deemed to be auspicious, or to ensure good luck for the new year, etc.; Gift, present, given on any occasion; reward; ironically. A ‘dressing’ given or received; A first instalment of payment; earnest money; the first money taken by a trader in the morning, a luck-penny; anything given or taken as an omen, earnest, or pledge of what is to follow; The first use, experience, trial, proof, or specimen of anything; first taste, foretaste, first fruits: often with the notion of its being auspicious of what is to follow; attrib. and Comb. handsel Monday, the first Monday of the year (usually according to Old Style), on which New Year's handsel is given.

withal -- adv. 1. In addition. 2. Nevertheless; prep. With (used postpositively).

seriatim -- One after another; in a series.

tope -- v. tr., intr.: 1. To drink (liquor) habitually and copiously; n. 2. A small shark with a long snout (Galeorhinus galeus). 3. A usually dome-shaped monument built by Buddhists. Also known as a stupa.

inconnu -- A whitefish (Stenodus leucichthys) found in the arctic and subarctic. Also known as sheefish; A stranger.

defalcate -- to steal or misuse money or property entrusted to one's care

conduce -- To lead to or contribute to a particular result.

chaff -- 1. the stiff strawlike part of grains such as wheat, oats, rye; 2. to make good-natured fun of someone; 3. worthless material; detritus

malem -- In parts of the Arabic-speaking world: a person responsible for the conduct or transportation of merchandise; Naut. A ship's pilot, master, or mate, esp. one of foreign nationality, as referred to by an Arabic-speaking crew. Freq. used as a title, as in malem sahib

in medias res -- In the middle of things.

ex libris -- From the library of (a phrase inscribed in a book followed by the name of the book owner); A bookplate.

neep -- 1. a. A turnip; (also, in later Sc. use) a swede. Also: a turnip plant or swede plant; b. Sc. and Irish English (south.). A parsnip; 2. More fully wild neep. Any of several wild plants used medicinally; spec. white bryony; 3. Sc. A watch; spec. a watch in a case, a turnip watch

neep brose -- n. Sc. and Irish English (north.) brose made with the liquid in which turnips or swedes have been boiled

neep land -- n. Sc. (now Orkney and Shetland) ground prepared or used for growing turnips or swedes.

neep lantern -- n. Sc. = turnip-lantern

neep-seed -- n. (a) the seed of the neep; (b) Sc. (north-east.), the time for sowing neeps

neep-shaw -- n. Sc. and Eng. regional (Northumberland) a turnip top

overgo -- 1. a. trans. To cross or get over (a wall, river, boundary, etc.); to pass (a point or limit); to surmount; b. trans. fig. To pass (a conceptual or moral limit); to transgress; c. intr. To go or pass over (to another place); to cross; 2. trans. To come upon suddenly; to catch, apprehend, detect; To pass or spread over so as to cover; To pass or spread over in a hostile or injurious way; to overrun, infest; 4. a. intr. To go or pass by; to pass over or away; to go unheeded; to pass on to another part of a narrative, etc. (sometimes with the implication of omission); (of time) to pass; To pass over, pass by, let alone, omit; a. To go or pass over the surface or extent of; to travel through, traverse; To tread upon; 6. trans. To surpass, exceed, excel; 7. trans. To overcome, overpower, get the better of (by force, deceit, etc.); to oppress, overwhelm; 8. trans. To go or rise higher than, or over the top of; 9. trans. To pass, live through, spend (time, or an event seen in the context of time). Also, of time: to pass over (a person); 10. trans. To go faster than, outstrip, overtake

sui generis -- Of its own kind; unique.

sit-fast, sitfast -- A hard excrescence, induration, or tumour, tending to ulceration, produced on the back of a horse by the uneven pressure or chafing of the saddle; a. The plants restharrow and creeping crowfoot; An earth-fast stone; Of stones: Firmly fixed or embedded in the ground; Remaining stationary; unmoving; Marked or characterized by sitting firmly; fixed, firm

pandiculation -- an instinctive stretching, as on awakening or while yawning

syncretic -- Combining different forms of belief or practice.

ambilateral -- Two-sided, bilateral; spec. in Med., affecting equally both sides of the body or a part; also, ambidextrous; Anthropol. Pertaining to or designating a kinship system in which an individual may claim membership of either the father's or the mother's lineage group, or both.

maniple -- 1. a. In the Western Church: a strip of material suspended from the left arm near the wrist, worn as one of the Eucharistic vestments; b. Heraldry. A representation of this, esp. shown with the hand and arm of a priest; 2. a. Roman Hist. A subdivision of the Roman legion made up of two centuries, numbering 120 or (for some purposes) 60 men; b. More generally: a small band or unit of soldiers; 3. a. A handful; b. colloq. A hand, fist; 4. maniple of the curates n. a book containing a brief summary of certain ecclesiastical canons

nubilous -- 1. Cloudy, misty, or foggy. 2. Vague or obscure.

neuston -- The aggregate of minute aquatic organisms that inhabit the surface of a body of water.

newel -- 1. A center column that supports the steps of a spiral staircase. 2. A post supporting the handrail of a staircase.

nugatory -- 1. Of little value; trifling. 2. Having no force; ineffective.

posole -- 1. In Mexican and Central American cooking: maize prepared by hulling, grinding, and boiling, for use in food or drink, hominy; (also) maize stew or soup made with this as the principal ingredient, typically also containing pork, beans, and red chilli. 2. A drink consisting of maize sourdough and water

logocentrism -- 1. The belief that the rational analysis of text and of its articulation through language is central to the meaning of being; hence, any system of thought in which the analysis of meaning is based upon the analysis of words, symbols, and other external references used to express meaning; 2. Hence more generally, concentration upon language or words to the exclusion or detriment of the matters to which they refer

equipollent -- 1. Of persons: Possessed of equal power, authority, influence, rank, or personal capacity; 2. Of things, forces, or agencies: Equal in power, effectiveness, or validity; 3. Identical in effect or result; practically equivalent; b. Of expressions or symbols: Equivalent in meaning; c. In Logic. Said esp. of propositions which express the same thing, notwithstanding formal diversity; B. n. Something that has equal power, weight, effect, importance, or significance; an equivalent

etesian -- Occurring annually.

span-new -- Brand-new.

Maliseet -- 1. A member of a North American Indian people of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Maine; . The eastern Algonquian language of the Maliseet; B. adj. Of, relating to, or designating the Maliseet.

avenaceous -- Relating to or like oats.

liminal -- 1. At an intermediate state. 2. At the threshold of consciousness.

Still far behind on posting vocabular I've collected. Last time I wasn't really in the mood for snarky comments, so I will try to do better this time.

sobeit -- Provided that. (I like it, but will take some getting used to. seems more like "amen" until you hear it a lot.)

guerdon -- a reward; to reward, pay back (I guess not in a snarky way, but a nice way.)

argal -- Therefore. (Okay, I'll never remember this one.)

escutcheon -- a shield decorated with a coat of arms; the protective metal plate around a keyhole and lock, drawer handle or pull, light switch, etc.; the panel on a ship's stern bearing her name (i have seen this before in fantasy novels.)

nabob -- a native ruler in India in the Mogul empire; by extension, a person from India who made a fortune therel; a very wealthy and prominent person; mogul

Lucullan -- rich; magnificent and luxurious

mythologem -- A basic theme of a myth, for example, revenge, honor, betrayal, etc. (Strikes me that children's stories are often like this.)

gownsman -- An adult Roman; a Roman as distinguished from one of another nation; One wearing the gown, or ‘dress of peace’; a civilian, in contradistinction to a soldier. One who wears a gown as an indication of his office, profession, or standing. a. A member of the legal profession; a lawyer, barrister, or judge. b. A member of the clerical profession; a clergyman; c. A member of a university; A member of a municipal corporation. (I have heard this in the sense of a university-man. Who else wears gowns these days?)

eminence grise -- a person who wields power or exerts influence behind the scenes

cadastral -- Of or relating to a map or survey showing property lines, boundaries, etc.

prolix -- Tediously wordy. (I'm sure some people think of me this way.)

remora --1. Any of several fishes of the family Echeneididae that have a dorsal fin modified in the shape of a suction disk that they use to attach to a larger fish, sea-turtles, or ships. Also called sharksucker or suckerfish. 2. Hindrance, drag.

gudgeon -- 1. A small European fresh-water fish (Gobio gobio) or any of the related fishes, often used as bait. 2. A gullible person. 3. A bait. 4. A pivot, usually made of metal, at the end of a beam, axle, etc., on which a wheel or a similar device turns. (If you are a songwriter, this is useful, because down you can rhyme with dungeon.)

tamarind -- The pod of the tree Tamarindus indica, the pulp of which is sour in taste and used in preparing food and drinks. (I've heard of people being named this.)

jodhpurs -- Riding breeches loose above the knees but close-fitting from the knees to the ankles. (I'm thinking of certain military uniforms.)

doolally -- Irrational, deranged, or insane.

golconda -- A source of great wealth. (There are none of these in my future, i fear.)

dastard -- a mean coward (hence, dastardly.)

Montpelier maple -- a small tree or shrub, Acer monspessulanum, native to the Mediterranean region and cultivated elsewhere, which resembles the field maple, A. campestre, but has leaves with three entire, wide-spreading lobes

Montpelier yellow -- Turner's yellow, lead oxychloride.

Montpelier green -- verdigris green.

Montpelier butter -- Cookery butter flavoured and coloured green with a mixture of shallots, gherkin, mixed herbs, and hard-boiled egg, and usually served with fish. (sounds positively disgusting)

Montpelier snake -- a moderately venomous colubrid snake of the Mediterranean region, Malpolon monspessulanus, with a predominantly brown upper body and a distinctive ridge above the eyes

pollard -- 1. A tree cut back to the trunk to encourage a dense growth of new branches. 2. An animal that has its horns or antlers removed or has shed them.
verb tr.: To cut off the top of a tree.

pleach -- To interlace branches or vines to make a hedge, decorative shape, arbor, etc.

espalier -- n. A tree trained to grow flat against a wall.; v.trans. To train a tree in such a way.

sequacious -- proceeding smoothly and regularly; disposed to follow, especially slavishly (good word for a right wing fundamentalist)

decoct -- To boil down or away; to concentrate by boiling; To diminish, consume, waste; To prepare as food by the agency of fire; to boil, cook; To warm up, as in cooking; To digest in the stomach; To prepare or mature (metals or mineral ores) by heat; To prepare, devise; To boil so as to extract the soluble parts or principles; to prepare a decoction of. (Of these, only the last "prepare a decoction of" is current. All others are rare or obsolete.)

dissever -- to separate or part; sever

flummadiddle or flumadiddle -- 1. Nonsense. 2. Something worthless.

caitiff -- cowardly and mean; a mean, cowardly person (Another good insult I should hang onto: Vile caitiff!)

absquatulate -- To leave in a hurry; to flee.

valediction -- the action of bidding farewell; a farewell

forwhy -- adv. Why; conj. Because.

emollient -- softening or soothing; something that softens or soothes (If you know skin care creams, you know this word.)

whencesoever -- From whatever place.

That will have to do for now.

I haven't done this in a while...

comity -- 1. A state of mutual harmony, friendship, and respect, especially between or among nations or people; civility; 2. The courteous recognition by one nation of the laws and institutions of another; 3. The group of nations observing international comity.

khutbah -- A form of sermon or oration used at the Friday service in Muslim mosques.

pepperbox -- 1. a. A small box with a (usually domed) perforated lid, used for sprinkling pepper on food; a pepper pot. b. In allusive expressions, referring to the action or appearance of a pepperbox. 2. Something regarded as resembling a pepperbox. a. Freq. depreciative. A small cylindrical turret or cupola. b. An early type of gun in which five or six barrels revolve round a central axis. 3. fig. A hot-tempered person. 4. In the Eton game of fives: a buttress which protrudes into the court from the left-hand wall. B. adj. Of (a part of) a tower or turret: that resembles a pepperbox in shape.

cacology -- 1. Poor choice of words. 2. Incorrect pronunciation.

semasiology -- The study of meanings in a language, especially the study of semantic change.

paragoge -- The addition of a letter or syllable at the end of a word, either through natural development or to add emphasis. For example, height-th for height.

otiose -- 1. Ineffective; futile; 2. Being at leisure; lazy; indolent; idle; 3. Of no use.

univocalic -- n. A piece of writing that uses only one of the vowels; adj. Using only one vowel.

sobriquet -- A nickname; an assumed name; an epithet.

epeolatry -- The worship of words. (that's a religion I can get behind!)

muso -- n. 1. Austral. A musician; esp. a classical one. 2. Brit. A musician or music enthusiast, esp. (freq. mildly depreciative) one who takes himself or herself too seriously.

serein -- Fine rain falling from an apparently cloudless sky, typically observed after sunset.

snood -- 1. A fleshy appendage over the beak of a turkey. 2. A net for holding a woman's hair at the back of her head.

Mishnah -- n. The collection of precepts and customs which forms the basis of the Talmud and is held to embody the oral tradition of Jewish law. Also: a paragraph of this.

hey rube -- 1. A fight between members of a circus and the general public. 2. A call to rally circus members in a fight.

skeuomorph -- A design feature copied from a similar artifact in another material, even when not functionally necessary. For example, the click sound of a shutter in an analog camera that is now reproduced in a digital camera by playing a sound clip.

hypergelast -- One who laughs excessively.

B-list -- 1. The second in a series of lists, esp. lists ranked in order of preference or significance. 2. Any (notional) list comprising moderately celebrated, sought-after, or high-ranking individuals, esp. in the entertainment industry or the media; a prominent but not elite social, professional, or celebrity group. B. adj. Of or belonging to a B-list; spec. designating or relating to a (notional) roster of moderately celebrated or sought-after individuals, esp. in the entertainment industry or the media. Usu. attrib.

littoral -- 1. Of, relating to, or on a coastal or shore region, especially a seashore. 2. A coastal region, especially the zone between the limits of high and low tides.

wifty -- Eccentric, silly, scatterbrained.

logy -- Lethargic, groggy.

adduce -- to offer as a reason in support of an argument; bring up as an example; give as proof or evidence; cite

frowzy -- 1. dirty and untidy; slovenly 2. smelling bad; musty

obsequies -- funeral rites or ceremonies

Mantatee -- 1. (A name for) a member of the Batlokwa people which, during the early 19th-cent. under the leadership of MmaNtatisi, created instability in the area later known as the Orange Free State. 2. In extended use: a person of Sotho (as opposed to Nguni) origin; esp. a Sotho refugee in the former Cape Colony. B. adj. Of or relating to the Mantatees; (in extended use) Sotho

monocentric -- 1. a. Science. Having a single centre. b. Optics. Of a compound lens: having a common centre of curvature for all its components. 2. Bot. Of the thallus of fungi of the order Chytridiales: having a single centre of growth and development. 3. Cell Biol. Having a single centromere.1. Optics. A monocentric lens. 2. Cell Biol. A monocentric chromosome.

horripilation -- the act or process of the hair bristling on the skin, as from cold or fear; goose flesh

advertorial -- A newspaper or magazine ad resembling editorial content in style and layout.

hand over head -- 1. adv. phr. Precipitately, hastily, rashly, recklessly, without deliberation; indiscriminately. 2. attrib. or adj. (with --). a. Precipitate, rash, reckless; indiscriminate. b. Cricket. Designating a style of bowling. 3. Phr. to play at hand over head, to act precipitately or rashly; in quot. app. with allusion to climbing.

mot juste -- a word or phrase that exacts fits the case

footless -- 1. without a foot or feet 2. figuratively, without support; not substantial 3. inept, awkward

epicure -- 1. a person who enjoys eating and drinking and who is very particular in choosing fine foods and beverages; gourmet; 2. a person who is fond of luxury and pleasure

maugre or mauger -- In spite of.

quiddity -- 1. The essence of someone or something. 2. A trifling point.

copemate (copesmate) -- 1. An associate or friend. 2. An opponent or adversary.

asperse -- 1. To spread false and malicious charges against someone. 2. To sprinkle with holy water.

overstrain -- 1. trans. To stretch tightly over or across something; a. To strain (a muscle, nerve, etc.; also a faculty) too much, or more than it can bear; to subject (a person) to excessive strain or exhaustion; (Materials Sci.) to strain (a material) beyond its yield point; b. fig. To put excessive demands on; to test or stretch too far. Also intr.: to make too much effort in doing something. 3. trans. To surpass in exertion or effort.

barrack -- verb tr., intr.: 1. To shout in support: to cheer. 2. To shout against: to jeer. n. A building used to house soldiers.

coach-whip -- 1. a. A whip used in driving a coach. b. One of two Australian birds, Psophodes olivaceus or Pachycephala rufiventris. c. ellipt. Any of the various coach-whip snakes, esp. Masticophis flagellum. U.S. 2. fig. A long thin strip; pl. shreds, tatters. 3. Naut. ‘The pendant’ 4. attrib., as coach-whip bird, snake

plenary -- 1. Full in all respects; complete; absolute; as, plenary authority. 2. Fully attended by all qualified members.

meeken -- To make or become meek or submissive.

synecdoche -- a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole or whole for a part or general for the special or vice versa

palinode -- A poem in which the author retracts something said in an earlier poem.

bidentate -- Having two teeth or toothlike parts.

That's enough for now.