Anathema /əˈnaTHəmə/ noun something or someone that one is extremely opposed to Over-thinking in your brain is anathema to the process of thinking on your feet. – Conan O’Brien (1963 – )

Iris /ˈīrəs/ noun 1. a group of flowering plants with over 300 species, typically with pointed, overlapping leaves and purple, white, yellow, pink, orange or white flowers Loss of habitat threatens many of our native irises as they occur in fragile, easily damaged habitats. – National Park Service 2. the ring-shaped membrane of the eye around the pupil, which is also the colored portion... Read More

Permafrost /ˈpərməˌfrôst/ noun a thick layer of underground soil that remains frozen throughout the year and which occurs mostly in the polar regions of Earth The striking quilt-like pattern of permafrost landscapes is caused by the build-up and thawing of ice in the ground, which produces pits, ponds, and landslides. – National Park Service

Ameliorate /əˈmēlyəˌrāt/ verb to improve a deplorable condition The good seeds must be planted in the minds of the citizens in order to ameliorate their lives. – Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996 – )

Rigorous /ˈriɡ(ə)rəs/ adjective strict, thorough or exhaustive, disciplined I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking. – Charles Krauthammer (1950 – 2018)

Jellyfish /ˈjelēˌfiSH/ noun a soft, gelatinous sea creature with stinging tentacles I’m a jellyfish glowing in the dark sea, bright and brilliant, just waiting to be discovered. – Jennifer L. Holm (1968 – )

Coalesce /ˌkōəˈles/ verb to combine, to fuse, to join together After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved science and art tend to coalesce in aesthetics, plasticity, and form…the greatest scientists are artists as well. – Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)

Verify /ˈverəˌfī/ verb to prove to be true, to confirm, to ascertain One must verify or expel his doubts, and convert them into the certainty of ‘yes’ or ‘no’. – Thomas Carlyle (1795 – 1881)

Albatross /ˈalbəˌtrôs/ noun a large bird with long, narrow wings found near the ocean, especially in the South Seas At first it looked like a cross, then it looked like an aeroplane, then it looked like a kite, and at last with a whirring of wings it was right overhead and was an albatross. – from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S.... Read More

Furor /ˈfyo͝oˌrôr,ˈfyo͞oˌrôr/ noun frenzy, a state of great public excitement It is to this ardor for making oneself the topic of conversation, to this furor to distinguish oneself which nearly always keeps us outside ourselves, that we owe what is best and worst among men, our virtues and vices, our sciences and our errors, our conquerors and our philosophers, that is to say, a... Read More