Bower
Bower /ˈbou(ə)r/ noun a pleasant, shaded place beneath trees, plants, or wood. The moon, like a flower in heaven’s high bower, with silent delight sits and smiles on the night. – William Blake (1757 – 1827) verb to shade or shelter When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend In mortal paradise of such sweet flesh? – from Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare (1564... Read More
Demure
Demure adjective demurer, demurest. 1. characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved. Synonyms: retiring Antonyms: indecorous 2. affectedly or coyly decorous, sober, or sedate. Antonyms: indecorous
Oftentimes
Oftentimes /ˈôf(ə)nˌtīmz,ˈäf(ə)nˌtīmz/ adverb frequent, occurring in many instances Oftentimes when I read a book, I want to savor each word, each phrase, each page, loving the prose so much, I don’t want it to end. – from The Day Before, by Lisa Schroeder (1967 – )
Shelter
Shelter /ˈʃel.t̬ɚ/ shelter noun 1. a safe place, a place to hide. He who gets close to a good tree gets good shelter. Al que buen arbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija by Anonymous. Verb 2. to hide someone, to guard or keep safe from harm, to protect. Happy is the house that shelters a friend. Feliz es la casa que alberga a un... Read More
Justify
Justify /ˈjəstəˌfī/ verb 1. to show or prove to be right Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it. – Albert Camus (1913 – 1960) 2. to make even or true, as lines of type by proper spacing When you “justify” text in a Word document, you give your text straight edges on both sides of the paragraph. Justifying... Read More
Anachronism
Anachronism /əˈnakrəˌnizəm/ noun something belonging to a time period other than the one in which it exists or is depicted in, a chronological inconsistency, especially one that is old-fashioned We know time to be a hurricane…our buildings, our sense of style, our ideas, all of these will soon enough be anachronisms, and the machines in which we now take inordinate pride will seem no... Read More
Column
Column /ˈkäləm/ noun 1. a supporting pillar If you look at Gothic detail right down to the bottom of a column, it’s a small version of the whole building— that’s why, like dating the backbones of a dinosaur a good historian can look at a detail of a Gothic building and tell you exactly what the rest of the building was, and infer the... Read More
Subsidence
Subsidence /səbˈsīdns,ˈsəbsədns/ noun the gradual sinking or caving in of a piece of land that can be caused by both natural processes and human activity Subsidence can happen over very large areas like whole states or provinces, or very small areas like the corner of your yard. – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Button
Button /ˈbətn/ noun 1. a small disc or knob that is used to fasten a dress, pants, shirt, or other article of clothing Don’t get me wrong, I love a good cardigan too, but a jacket— especially one with sharp shoulders, interesting buttons, or a unique collar— always looks the most fashion forward. – Nina Garcia, (1965 – ) 2. a knob on... Read More
Tend
Tend /tend/ verb 1. to take care of something The Earth is our environment to protect and the garden to tend to. – Pope Francis (1936 – 2025) 2. to be likely to, to do something habitually Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one. – Terry Pratchett (1948 – 2015)