Diphthong /ˈdipˌTHäNG,ˈdifˌTHäNG/ noun a combination of two vowels forming a compound sound Out of the simple consonants of the alphabet and our eleven vowels and diphthongs all possible syllables of a certain sort were constructed, a vowel sound being placed between two consonants. – Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909)

Flowery /ˈflou(ə)rē/ adjective 1. full of many flowers, resembling or smelling of flowers I have a rosy sky and a green flowery Eden in my brain; but without, I am perfectly aware, lies at my feet a rough tract to travel, and around me gather black tempests to encounter. – from Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë (1816 – 1855) 2. (of speech or writing)... Read More

Cartography /kärˈtäɡrəfē/ noun the practice or science of creating maps Writing can be a crucial skill, like cartography…everybody lives in the middle of a landscape…writing can provide a map. – Phyllis Theroux (1939 – )

Boon /bo͞on/ noun something beneficial or helpful The children to whom we read simple stories may or may not show gratitude, but each boon we give strengthens the pillars of the world. – Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014)

/ˈäbəˌlisk/ noun a tall 4-sided column which tapers and ends with a pyramid apex Built in the shape of an Egyptian obelisk, evoking the timelessness of ancient civilizations, the Washington Monument embodies the awe, respect, and gratitude the nation felt for its most essential Founding Father. – the National Park Service

/ˌfäsfəˈres(ə)ns/ noun any bright and luminous radiating light created by something without heat Each of them in his own tempo and with his own voice discovered and reaffirmed with astonishment the knowledge that all things are one thing and that one thing is all things—plankton, a shimmering phosphorescence on the sea and the spinning planets and an expanding universe, all bound together by the... Read More

/prəˈdijəs/ adjective marvelous, enormous, huge I must have a prodigious amount of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up! – Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)

Sanitize /ˈsanəˌtīz/ verb 1. to make clean and hygienic, to disinfect [Lisa Casanova, an environmental health scientist at Georgia State University] and other experts…recommend using milder soaps, like dish soap, to easily sanitize a surface indoors and outdoors. – Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic 2. to make something, such as writing, more acceptable by removing unfavorable parts If we’ve got the means to get here,... Read More

Jubilant /ˈjo͞obələnt/ adjective thrilled, rejoicing, feeling or expressing great joy Every explorer I have met has been driven—not coincidentally but quintessentially—by curiosity, by a single-minded, insatiable, and even jubilant need to know. – Jacques Cousteau (1910 – 1997)

Finality /fīˈnalədē,fəˈnalədē/ noun the quality of being an irreversible or ultimate conclusion As a great man’s influence never ends, so also there is not definite finality, no end, to a great survey; it runs along for centuries, ever responsive to the strain of the increasing needs of a growing population and an enlarging domain. – Cleveland Abbe (1838 – 1960)