1. dehiscence — bursting of a surgical closure; opening of seed-pod or fruits
The vomitous debate about raising the debt ceiling threatens either the dehiscence of red ink across our children’s future or a return to the safety net of feudalism.
2. paltering — insincere, lying speech
But your selfish tongue brings only paltering as we consider this poor man’s fate.
3. fractionize — to divide into fractions
The so-called focus on “hyperlocal” news on the Internet promises to fractionize humans using computers even further.
4. execrable — completely detestable; terrible
The trauma of being laid off became execrable when his boss said, “I know how you feel.”
5. enchiridion — handbook, manual
A teenager may stumble upon a novel which seems to speak powerfully to him or her, and in this resonance approach this literary work as a enchiridion for solving the problem of life.
6. oology — the study of eggs
Though of course birds provide most examples, oology includes in its ambit the ova of reptiles as well.
7. noology — the study of knowledge and knowing
Deep thinkers may ponder mysteries and contribute to noology, but many doctoral theses seem evidence only that thought is a branch of nosology.
8. fleuron — a flower-shaped decorative element
The medieval gargoyles hid drainspouts as they glowered beneath fleurons of stone.
9. burlesque — an art form that inverts the usual mode of presenting material for comedic effect, giving gravitas to lesser subjects or treating vulgarly more dignified matter
A serious poem about washing dishes runs the risk of slipping into burlesque.
10. pongid — pertaining to a great ape (the gorilla, chimpanzee, or orangutan)
Did humankind’s mechanistic aptitude for murder evolve from some pongid fury?