The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate (3 page)

affinity
(
e
-FIN-i-tee)
noun, plural
affinities

1. a resemblance, connection, inherent agreement.

2. a natural or instinctive mutual attraction.

afflatus
(
e
-FLAY-t
e
s)
noun

1. inspiration.

2. divine impulse.

agape
(AH-gah-pay)
noun, plural
agapae
or
agapai
both pronounced AH-gah-p
I

brotherly, unselfish love (contrasted with erotic love).

agent provocateur
(AY-j
e
nt pr
e
-
VOK
-
e
-TUR),
plural
agents provocateurs
(AY-j
e
nts pr
e
-
VOK
-
e
-TUR)

an agent hired to detect suspected persons by inciting them to commit self-incriminating acts.

aggravate
(AG-r
e
-
VAYT
)
verb

increase the gravity of (an offense, illness, problem, and the like); worsen.

Many speakers and writers use
aggravate
to mean
annoy
or
irritate
, as in “The child's incessant questioning aggravated his grandmother” and in “Don't aggravate me.” They also use
aggravation
to mean
annoyance
, as in “I've had all the aggravation I can take.” So prevalent have these two meanings become that most dictionaries now show them as acceptable, but usually mark these usages as colloquial. The signal for good writers is clear: If you wish to speak and write well, stay away from
aggravate
meaning
irritate
and
aggravation
meaning
annoyance
. Reserve
aggravate
for
worsen
,
aggravation
for
worsening
.

Related words:
aggravative
(AG-r
e
-
VAY
-tiv)
adjective
,
aggravator
noun
.

agrestic
(
e
-GRES-tik)
adjective

1. unpolished, awkward, uncouth.

2. rustic, rural.

aide-mémoire
(AYD-mem-WAHR)
noun, plural
aide-mémoire
(AYDZ-mem-WAHR)

a document, usually a memorandum, written as an aid to the memory, especially in diplomacy.

akimbo
(
e
-KIM-boh)
adverb

of the arms, with hands on hips and elbows bent outward.

aleatory
(AY-lee-
e
-
TOR
-ee)
adjective

1. depending on luck or chance.

2. especially in law, dependent on uncertain contingencies.

3. done at random, unpredictable.

Related word:
aleatoric
(
AY
-lee-
e
-TOR-ik)
adjective
.

allocution
(
AL
-
e
-KYOO-sh
e
n)
noun

a formal address, especially one that is hortatory in nature.

allude
(
e
-LOOD)
verb

refer indirectly, covertly, or casually (to something assumed to be known).

So many speakers and writers use
allude
when they should use
refer
, which means
direct attention to by naming
, that
allude
is on the list of endangered words. For anyone who wishes to use the language carefully,
allude
for
refer
is a no-no. Example: “She
alluded
to her husband's obesity by loudly asking all the physicians at dinner whether they thought overeating was really bad for one's health.” “‘If you intend to
refer
to your husband's proclivities,’ replied the host, ‘I think you ought to pay for a consultation.’” Why abandon a word that has a useful, distinctive meaning? (See also
refer
.)

Related words:
allusion
(
e
-LOO-zh
e
n)
noun
,
allusive
(
e
-LOO-siv)
adjective
,
allusively
adverb
.

alopecia
(
AL
-
e
-PEE-sh
e
)
noun

baldness, whether partial or complete.

ambagious
(am-BAY-j
e
s)
adjective

1. circumlocutory, circuitous, roundabout.

2. tortuous.

Related words:
ambagiously
adverb
,
ambagiousness
noun
.

ambiguous
(am-BIG-yoo-
e
s)
adjective

1. open to various interpretations.

2. obscure, indistinct.

Do not confuse
ambiguous
and
ambiguity
with
ambivalent
and
ambivalence
, which see.

Related words:
ambiguously
adverb
,
ambiguousness
and
ambiguity
(
AM
-bi-GYOO-i-tee)
both nouns
.

ambit
(AM-bit)
noun

1. a sphere of operation or influence.

2. precincts, bounds, scope, extent.

ambivalence
(am-BIV-
e
-l
e
ns)
noun
, also given as
ambivalency

1. uncertainty, especially when caused by inability to make up one's mind.

2. coexistence within a person of contrary tendencies or feelings.

There is a difference in the uses of
ambivalence
and
ambiguity
and the uses of their adjectival forms that is worth pointing out.
Ambivalent
is generally used to characterize the state of one's mind, while
ambiguous
is used to characterize something external to the mind. One may say, then, that people may often be
ambivalent
, but their writings should never be
ambiguous
. Again, the wording of a letter may be intentionally or unintentionally
ambiguous
, but the recipient of the letter may feel
ambivalent
toward its contents regardless of whether the letter is
ambiguous
or entirely clear, that is,
unambiguous
.

Related words:
ambivalent
adjective
,
ambivalently
adverb
.

amoretto
(
AM
-
e
-RET-oh)
noun, plural
amoretti
(
AM
-
e
-RET-ee)

a little cupid.

amphibology
(
AM
-f
e
-BOL-
e
-jee) and
amphiboly
(am-FIB-
e
-lee)
both nouns, plurals
amphibologies
and
amphibolies

ambiguous speech or wording, quibble.

amphigory
(AM-fi-
GOR
-ee)
noun, plural
amphigories

a nonsensical piece of verse or other writing, especially one intended as a parody.

Related word:
amphigoric
(
AM
-f
e
-GOR-ik)
adjective
.

amphora
(AM-f
e
r-
e
)
noun, plural
amphorae
(AM-f
e
-ree) and
amphoras

in antiquity a two-handled Greek or Roman storage jar for oil, wine, and the like.

Related word:
amphoral
adjective
.

anabasis
(
e
-NAB-
e
-sis)
noun, plural
anabases
(
e
-NAB-
e
-
SEEZ
)

a military advance, especially that of Cyrus the Younger into Asia in 401
B.C.
against the forces of Artaxerxes II, as narrated by Xenophon.

anadromous
(
e
-NAD-r
e
-m
e
s)
adjective

of fish, migrating up rivers from the sea to spawn in fresh water.

analects
(AN-
e
l-
EKTS
) and
analecta
(
AN
-
e
-LEK-t
e
)
both plural nouns

collections of literary fragments or extracts.

analogy
(
e
-NAL-
e
-jee)
noun, plural
analogies
(
e
-NAL-
e
-jeez)

a similarity between like features of two unlike things, enabling a comparison to be drawn.

Many speakers and writers, apparently perceiving
analogy
as somehow a more attractive word than
comparison
, have taken to using
analogy
as a direct synonym for
comparison
, thus thrusting
analogy
onto the precipitous path to extinction as a useful word with its own meaning. Properly, a
comparison
, not an
analogy
, is drawn between like things or persons, for example, a
comparison
of the paintings of Renoir and Degas, the baseball achievements of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. One may, however, draw an
analogy
between the careers of a failed artist and an unsuccessful football player, since their careers are intrinsically different.