Siren
Siren /ˈsīrən/ Noun 1) a piece of equipment that produces a loud, wailing sound “The thought occurred to him that if you listened hard enough in New York, you could always hear a siren.” – from Cleopatra and Frankenstein, by Coco Mellors (1989 – ) 2) (in classical mythology) a half woman, half bird(later half fish instead) creature who lures sailors to their destruction... Read More
Embellish
Embellish em·bel·lish /əmˈbeliSH/ Verb to adorn, to make beautiful “The job of the novelist is to invent: to embroider, to color, to embellish, to make things up.” – Donna Tartt (1963 – )
Union
Union /ˈyo͞onyən/ Noun 1) a coming together “So we grew together, / Like to a double cherry, seeming parted, / But yet an union in partition, / Two lovely berries moulded on one stem.” – from A Midsummar’s Night Dream, by William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) 2) a group of people who join to support a cause “Unions were created to make living conditions... Read More
Vacant
Vacant va·cant /ˈvākənt/ Adjective empty, not occupied “Absence of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed.” – William Cowper (1731 – 1800)
Freelance
Freelance free·lance /ˈfriːlɑːns/ adjective independent; not tied to a single employer “The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.” – Robert Benchley (1889 – 1945) verb to work independently, offering one’s services to multiple clients or employers rather than being permanently employed by one “If a stable had no horses in a race, its contract jockeys... Read More
Notion
Notion no·tion /ˈnōSHən/ Noun an idea, a thought, a whim “Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every conceived notion, follow humbly wherever and whatever abysses nature leads, or you will learn nothing.” – Thomas Huxley (1825 – 1895)
Yearn
Yearn yearn /yərn/ Verb to long for, to strongly desire “Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be.” – Jose Ortega y Gasset (1883 – 1955)
Perennial
Perennial /pəˈrenēəl/ /pəˈrenēəl/ adjective recurrent, repeating over and over “Wit is an intermittent fountain; kindness is a perennial spring.” – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830 – 1916) noun a plant that lives for two or more years “Garden perennials, such as purple coneflower, tall sedum and garden phlox add color and beauty to any landscape.” – “Fall a Good Time to Divide Perennials” (2013), University... Read More
Audacity
Audacity au·dac·i·ty /ôˈdasədē/ Noun impertinence, boldness, self-assurance “Every new advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination.” – John Dewey (1859-1952)
Salutary
Salutary sal·u·tary /ˈsalyəˌterē/ Adjective curative, beneficial, wholesome “It is salutary to train oneself to be no more affected by censure than by praise.” – W. Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965)