Sometimes we give you lists of words that are targeted to help you learn vocabulary for a specific purpose or topic. Sometimes we tell you about words that have been added to the “official” English vocabulary (according to the OED), or ones that have slipped out of use over the years, or changed their meaning. And sometimes we give you words to learn because they’re just fun to use and say. Here are three words we like to play with – have fun!

akimbo (uh-KIM-boh) adjective
In general, this means “bent in the shape of a bow.” It’s used most often to refer to the position of a person’s arms when they are bent at the elbow and in line with the body, with the hands resting on the hips (see here for an illustration). The etymology of the word is probably traceable back to the Middle English phrase in kene bowe, or “at a sharp angle,” but other linguists speculate that the word comes from the Icelandic word kenboggin (literally “bow-bent”).
Example: The nanny stood in the doorway, arms akimbo and with a frown on her face, until the children had finished cleaning the nursery.

bugaboo (BUG-uh-boo) noun
This word may have come from some of the earliest inhabitants of the British Isles, the Celts who lived in what is now Cornwall; the Cornish word bucca means “goblin,” or a small but frightening creature. A bugaboo today is a fear or worry that has an effect that is out of proportion to reality.
Example: Lisa wanted to be part of the theatre group, but her fear of forgetting her lines and being laughed at was a bugaboo that kept her off the stage, even though her friends assured her she’d be an excellent actress.

And speaking of the theatre …

fiasco (fee-AH-skoh) noun
This word entered the English language in the 19th century via the world of theatre, and means a complete and total failure of a performance, or a flop. It probably came from the Italian idiom for losing a game, fare il fiasco, meaning “to make [buy] the bottle.” That is, the person who lost (failed) would have to buy the drinks.
Example: The opening performance of the play was a complete fiasco: the lead actor was ill, and his understudy wasn’t prepared; the musicians kept missing their cues; and one of the stage lights fell in the middle of the last act, spraying pieces of glass into the first row of the audience.

We wish you every success in your vocabulary study! Come back tomorrow for more words and ways to use them.

Let’s cut right to the core of the issue here: what’s the most important part of an effective English vocabulary study program? That’s a hard question to answer, partly because there are several important aspects to a good study program, and partly because what you might find most important may be different from what another person believes is essential. One thing we can all agree on, however, is that etymology – the study of word origins – is an extremely valuable part of the learning process, because it helps both in understanding the word and in seeing the connections between words. For many people, the root words are also a useful way to remember the basic underlying meanings of words. Today’s set of words show how helpful etymology can be.

The underlying meaning of heart in many words is traceable back either to the Greek root word kardia or the Latin root word cor, both of which mean “heart.” However, these root words may not be evident at first glance. The word heart itself came into English through the German Herz. This might seem a bit of a jump from either kardia or cor, but when you look at the ancestor of Latin, Greek and most other European languages (a reconstructed language called “Proto-Indo-European” which is usually abbreviated as PIE in dictionaries), you find the root word meaning heart in that language was kerd.

From heart, we also get the word hearten. Hearten means to encourage, or literally “to put heart into.” The word encourage also has heart at its core, because it comes from the French courage (and/or Italian corragio), based on the Latin root cor, and meaning “with heart.”

Cordial is a word that originated in the Middle Ages which originally was the name for a medicinal syrup that stimulated the heart. It later became a term meaning “with heart” (so “in a cordial fashion” would have meant warmly, lovingly) but now the word as an adjective has less emphasis, and is closer to the sense of “friendly.”

Moving to the Greek root, we get many words used in the medical field, such as cardiac (“relating to the heart”) and tachycardia (“swift[-beating] heart”) and echocardiogram (“sound-heart-measure”).

Knowing the correct etymology of a word is important, because there are often false cognates that may lead you to believe a word has an origin that it does not. For example, the words hearth and cornucopia have no relationship to the word heart, though you might think that a hearth is the symbol (or center) of a home, and a cornucopia spills abundance from its core. Instead, the origin of hearth comes from the Old German Herd, a fireplace; the word cornucopia has the Latin root cornu-, meaning “horn,” because of its shape.

We hope you now have a hearty appetite for your own etymological explorations!

Flowers have long held a special place in Valentine’s Day celebrations, and have been associated with various people, ideas, and emotions throughout history. Lilies, for example, generally symbolize purity (especially white ones), and roses are linked to physical love and passion. In 19th-century England, flowers were used to hold entire conversations, as people sent bouquets back and forth. Small bunches of flowers, herbs, lace, and ribbons, called tussie-mussies, were frequently sent to friends, family, and lovers to convey messages – mostly positive, but occasionally with darker meanings. We’ve collected a few flowers today for you, along with their symbols, and included explanations and definitions of the associated words.

Daffodils: Unrequited Love
The word requite means “to pay or return what is due” and the word unrequited means “not returned in equal measure.” To “be quit” used to mean “to pay one’s debt in full” – all of these words come from the Latin root quies, meaning “calm, peace, at rest.” In a sense, if there is an imbalance, things are not at rest because they are not equal (think of an old-fashioned scale with more weight on one side than another). Unrequited love is love that is not returned to the same degree, if at all.

Yellow Roses: Infidelity
Yesterday we looked at the word fidelity, and today we have its opposite. Infidelity is not being faithful and loyal to your partner or spouse. The connection with the color yellow may have come from the old notion of the four “humors,” where yellow indicated bile (i.e. bitterness, jealousy, sour feelings).

Plum Blossoms: Longevity
It’s interesting that plum blossoms which, like other early spring flowers can quickly be shredded by wind and rain, symbolize longevity. Longevity means “a long life,” as can be clearly seen by its Latin roots longus (“long”) and aevum (“life”). Note that this word doesn’t necessarily refer to actual age, but rather anything that is long-lasting.

Wheat: Prosperity
From the Latin roots pro- (“for” or “according to”) and spere (“wishes, hopes”), the word prosperity is used to refer to good fortune, riches, wealth, and success – literally, all of the things that a person might wish for.

There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts. – Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5

We know you adore studying English vocabulary to learn new words, and cherish the benefits that a comprehensive and flexible vocabulary bring to your professional and personal life, so we thought we’d give you a Valentine’s Day gift of four useful vocabulary words appropriate to the occasion.

fidelity (fih-DEL-uh-tee) noun
Definition: Loyalty and faithfulness. In the context of interpersonal relationships, this means that you stay true to your partner or spouse, without having romantic connections with anyone else. The word comes from the Latin root fides, meaning “faith, loyalty.”
Example: Such was the fidelity of Aunt Joan’s love for my Uncle Frank that she never remarried or even dated other men, even though she was widowed at an early age.

infatuation (in-FA-tyu-AY-shun) noun
Note: The first A in the word is pronounced like the A in the word “cat.”
Definition: An obsessive feeling of love that seems to have no reason behind it. This word can be traced back to the Latin word fatuus (“foolish”).
Example: From the Beatles to Justin Bieber, it seems there’s always a cute pop singer that fuels the infatuation of teenage girls.

paramour (PAIR-ah-moor) noun
Definition: In one of the 180-degree changes in meaning that the English language is known for, this word, which originally was used to refer to a chaste, holy, and pure love, now means an illicit lover, mistress, gigolo, or concubine, particularly one in an adulterous relationship outside of marriage. The word comes from the French phrase par amour, “with (by) love.”
Example: The oil heiress’ husband depends on her for all of his money and support, but that doesn’t stop him from having a string of paramours, at least according to the tabloid newspapers.

inamorata/inamorato (een-AH-mor-AH-tah or -toh) noun
Definition: From the Italian word for love (amore), this is the term you would use for your boyfriend (inamorato) or girlfriend (inamorata); literally, the one you are “in love” with.
Example: Go to that restaurant with your inamorata on Valentine’s Day and they’ll give you a free glass of champagne with your appetizer, and two chocolate truffles for dessert.

Whether you read about lawsuits that are covered in the newspaper or watch television shows that portray courtroom proceedings, serve on a jury or are studying for your LSAT to become a lawyer, a basic knowledge of legal terminology will help you understand the often-complicated world of litigation (for a definition of this term, read this post). Today we’ll look at some vocabulary words that are often associated with the law.

affidavit (A-fuh-DAY-vit) noun
Note: The first A sound in this word is pronounced like the A in the word cat.
An affidavit is a statement that is written or printed out and signed by the person making the affidavit, under oath that he or she is stating the truth. An affidavit generally has to be notarized to be valid.

docket (DAH-ket) noun/verb
This refers to the history of a particular case, in the form of a chronological listing of the court proceedings. It is also used as a verb, and to docket a case means to put a hearing or trial on the court’s calendar.

indictment (in-DYT-ment) noun
A formal charge that states that there is enough evidence of a crime to put the defendant on trial. The verb is to indict. The word comes from the Latin root dictare (“to say in words”).

jurisdiction (JUR-ihs-DIK-shun) noun
This word can either refer to the right of a specific court to hear and rule on a specific case, or the geographical territory that the court has responsibility for. The Latin root juris- has the general meaning of “law.”

Study these phrases before you watch a rerun of Judge John Deed or Perry Mason, and remember that ignorantia juris non excusat!*

* ignorance of the law excuses no one

After all your hard work studying English vocabulary words, you probably need a break, and some time to relax and have fun. However, don’t go to the opposite extreme by turning to hedonism and devoting all of your time to the pursuit of pleasure. That’s our modern sense of the word hedonism, at least: a lifestyle in which a person constantly indulges in gourmet foods, luxurious surroundings, and sensual delights.

The word comes from the Greek hedone, meaning “pleasure.” In the 4th century BC, the Cyreniac school of Greek philosophy believed that pleasure (both physical and spiritual) was the most important aspect of life, and that the only reality was what could be evaluated by the senses. They weren’t completely self-serving, however; since social evils such as slavery cause pain to the slave, though pleasure to the owner who doesn’t have to do his own work, slavery is not something that causes pleasure overall, and so should be avoided. The later philosophy of Epicurus – from whose name we get the word epicurean – further developed this theory, and while the Epicurean philosophy also believes pleasure is the highest good, it is concerned primarily with the pleasures associated with tranquility of spirit and living a temperate life. Again, in modern English we now use the word epicurean in the same sense as hedonistic, referring to someone who is devoted to good food and drink and other riches, but this is contrary to the original philosophy, which was more ascetic than otherwise.

We’re not recommending you live an ascetic life either, of course! Although you might find it easier to concentrate on your English vocabulary study if you adopt the lifestyle of a monk or hermit (the meaning of the Greek root word asketes), a balance between work and play will bring the most beneficial results.