“Laconic” means “brief” or “to the point,” referring to someone’s speaking style. A laconic person uses just enough words to say what they mean, and no more.

Example:  “He has a reputation for being laconic at work, but I think it’s because he’s so busy he just doesn’t have time to chat.”

If you’re fluent in more than one language, you’re a “polyglot”. A polyglot is someone who can read, speak, and write in several languages.

Example:  “The translators who work for the diplomats have to be polyglots, because they deal with ambassadors from many countries.”

“Proselytize” means to preach or talk about something, with the goal of converting other people to your way of thinking. Missionaries proselytize to convert people to their religion. Members of a political party sometimes proselytize to get more people to agree with their platforms and vote for them.

Example: “People who give up cigarettes are often the ones who proselytize most about the dangers of second-hand smoke.”

“Harbinger” means “a sign of things to come.” Some synonyms for harbinger are “portent” and “omen.” It’s not always negative, though – the things to come can be good as well as bad.

Example: “Thought nearly covered by the two inches of snow that had fallen overnight, the early blossoms of the crocuses were a harbinger of spring.”

“Aegis” means “protection” or “shield.” The word originally referred to the armored breastplate worn by the goddess Athena, the Greek goddess of knowledge and military power.

Example: “The star football player saw the other students teasing the new boy, so he took him under his aegis and kept the bullies away.”

A word you might be familiar with in a religious sense is “trinity.” But as a general term, it merely refers to three things or people that are considered as a unit, inseparable.

Example: “Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the trinity of countries known as ‘the Axis’ during World War II.”

“Catholic” is an adjective meaning “broad in scope” and “comprehensive.”

Example: “Her reading list is quite catholic; she has books on everything from astrology to zoo-keeping, and the complete ‘Harry Potter’ series.”

“Negligible” means “so small it doesn’t matter.” Something that’s negligible is easy to ignore because it has little impact on the situation.

Example: “The monthly total of all staff salaries is a huge sum, but compared to the rest of the budget, the figure is negligible.”

If someone has a habit of talking down to others and insulting them, they’ll probably get a reputation for being not a very nice person. They’ll be infamous. “Infamous” is an adjective meaning “having a bad reputation” or “notorious.”

Example: “Although Howard is extremely wealthy, he’s infamous for never paying his staff on time.”

Sometimes people make mistakes or act foolishly because they are so new to a situation they haven’t had a chance to learn the correct information. A person like this is a “neophyte” – literally “newly planted,” from the Greek root “neo” meaning “new.” While this word merely means “beginner” or “novice,” it’s often used in a derogatory fashion, implying that because the person is new, they’re also lower in social status than the speaker.

Example: “That secretary is such a neophyte she can’t even operate the fax machine.”