Florilegium

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. 

Barratry is a noun that refers to the act of frequently instigating lawsuits.  The Old Norse word for ‘contest’ provides the origin of several words related to the law, such as barrister and bar, as in ‘passing the bar.’ Our word of the day has been around since the Late Middle English period to describe the bahavior of those who like to sue people a little too much. Here’s an example: Kevin’s barratry got a little excessive at times. He had so many lawsuits going on that he was on a first-name basis with members of the jury. 

Virago is a noun that refers to a screaming woman or a hellcat.  The Latin word uirago (we RAHG oh) means ‘female warrior.’ Its descendent, virago, dates back to the Old English period. Here’s an example: When my daughter dressed up as a virago for Halloween, she frightened everybody in the neighborhood. On top of everything else, my little hellcat got more candy than anybody else.