Compendium

Borborygmus is a noun that refers to the rumbling or gurgling noise made in the stomach.  Our word of the day comes almost directly from a Greek noun that holds the same meaning. It’s been used mostly in medical circles since the early 18th century. Here’s an example: There’s nothing more embarrassing than having a grumbling stomach in a quiet setting. A few weeks ago, I was in a bookstore when my borborygmus announced my hunger to the world — or at least everybody in the history section. 

Vegetate is a verb that means to live or spend time in a dull, inactive way.  Our word of the day comes from the Latin word vegere (way GARE ay) which means ‘to be active.’ By the early 17th century, the word had morphed into the English word vegetable. More recently, vegetate has come to mean ‘to be inactive.’ Here's an example: I was so tired from running that marathon, I wanted to vegetate all weekend. The problem was I had too much to do around the house to be lazy. 

Comely is an adjective that means pleasant or attractive to look at.  Our word of the day comes from the Old English period and once meant ‘frail’ or ‘weak.’ Its meaning has been modified more recently and it can now be thought of as a synonym for handsome or beautiful.  When I entered the ballroom, I thought all those people were gawking at me because my tuxedo made me look particularly comely. It turned out that all those stares had less to do with my appearance than with the fact that I had forgotten to remove the tag from my jacket. 

Benthic is an adjective that means occurring at the bottom of a body of water.  The Greek word ‘benthos.’ (VEN thos) means ‘depth of the sea.’ Since the early 20th century, our word of the day has been used to describe the landscape and activity at those depths. Here’s an example: One of the joys of diving is being able to observe all those creatures on the ocean floor. You’d be shocked at all the strange-looking animals you’d find engaged in benthic activity. 

Grum is an adjective that means sullen or gloomy.  The origin of our word of the day is in the Old English period where it meant ‘fierce.’ In time, grum came to take on a meaning similar to words like ‘morose’ and ‘surly.’ Here’s an example: Tommy’s grum demeanor told me it would be a tough day for anybody who tried to talk to him. When he gets in a foul mood, it’s best to stay away. 

Kairos is a noun that refers to a propitious moment for a decision or action.  Our word of the day comes directly from the Greek word that means ‘opportunity.’ It’s been around since the 1930s. Here’s an example of kairos in use: When the mayor faced a kairos in his first term, the result was a catastrophic failure to act. If the same happens in his second term, he may not get a second opportunity to prove he can make a key decision. 

Beatitude is a noun that refers to supreme happiness.  Our word of the day has been around since the late Middle English period and comes from the Latin word beatus (bee AW toos) meaning ‘blessed.’ Here’s an example of it: The sense of beatitude I feel while rock climbing is unlike any other. The only thing that makes me happier is when we finally reach the summit of those majestic mountains. 

Communique is a verb that refers to an official announcement or statement, especially one made to the media.  The Latin word communis (KOE moo noose) means ‘common,’ and it’s given us words as wide-ranging as ‘Communism’ and ‘communication.’ It’s also given us our word of the day which refers to a specific communication made to one or many media outlets. Here’s an example: When I quit my job at Paul’s Chicken Shack, I sent out a communique to every media outlet I could find announcing that I was now available for employment. The only problem was that none of these outlets had the slightest bit of interest in my announcement. 

Verbing is a noun that refers to the practice of using a noun as a verb.  The Latin word ‘verbum’ (VARE boom) gives us the word verb and also our word of the day ‘verbing.’ It’s been around for about a century. Here’s an example: Holly’s verbing can get a little confusing at times. The other day she told me was going to go shoeing at the mall and I thought she was going to drive away some bothersome flies from the food court.

Skookum is an adjective that means strong, brave or impressive.  Our word of the day has its origin in the language of the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. It’s been used since the late 19th century. Here’s an example of skookum in use: I found our boss particularly skookum last Thursday when he stood up to his supervisor in defense of his parking spot. He might have impressed me as even braver if he’d defended all of our parking spaces, but I guess you can’t have everything.