You might have a particular reason for studying vocabulary – perhaps you’re learning a new terminology to advance your career or keep up with discoveries in your field, or focusing on a list of high-frequency SAT words in preparation for a test. You might also be picking up words that catch your eye because they seem interesting or beautiful, or weird enough that you wonder what they could possibly mean. There are so many words to choose from in English that you could be learning new vocabulary for the rest of your life, and still be surprised at each unique and descriptive word. Here are a few words that we’ve selected just for fun – because they’re fun to say, and fun to use in conversation. We hope you’ll have fun taking this quiz!

chimichurri

a) an herb sauce made of parsley or cilantro, garlic, and olive oil
b) a dance related to flamenco
c) a deep-fried pastry covered with powdered sugar
d) a small monkey found in Paraguay

cicatrice

a) a row of columns on an Egyptian temple
b) a scar
c) a mythological creature, half rooster and half lizard
d) a winged insect that tends to fly in large swarms

conflagration

a) getting caught in an act of adultery
b) a wild exaggeration
c) a large uncontrolled fire
d) taking part in a parade

cartouche

a) an oval or oblong carving decorated with scrollwork
b) an open-air marketplace
c) an infection of the sinuses
d) a Moroccan “bicycle taxi”

crepuscular

a) covered in a red rash
b) strong and powerful
c) slimy
d) dimly lit, like at twilight

coterie

a) a cage for doves or pigeons
b) a group of people of a similar social standing
c) altering or tailoring clothes
d) whitewash

clowder

a) a thick soup containing fish or seafood
b) a daisy-like perennial found in high mountain meadows
c) a group of cats
d) using lemon juice to curdle milk

Come back tomorrow for the answers.