Friday Vocabulary

1. lamella — gill of a mushroom; plate or scale of bone or other tissue The secondary lamellae arise within the spaces between the primary or earlier gills as those latter grow away from the stem.   2. syntagma (also syntagm [linguistics]) — syntactic component; arrangement of components producing meaning or a greater whole; phalanx …

Friday Vocabulary

1. azote — nitrogen Azote is necessary for most plants, though the form in which it can be absorbed varies; beets, for example, require nitrates for an abundant crop.   2. phlegm — sticky mucus from throat and lungs; one of the four humors of medieval medical theory, causing sluggish temperament; composure, calmness, apathy Funds …

Friday Vocabulary

1. raptus — seizure; ravishing, rape; medieval form of marriage by abduction Of course the most famous person accused of raptus is last week’s featured poet, Geoffrey Chaucer.   2. posture chair — office chair designed to support and conform to natural human form Ryback leaned back in the dark wooden posture chair which was …

Friday Vocabulary

1. corybantic — crazed, wild, frenzied, orgiastic We have no need for corybantic preaching and unbridled emotional appeal, for our program is a sane and reasoned approach of proven value.   2. spencer — short tight jacket of 19th century, often trimmed with fur when worn by women and children Not even taking time to …

Friday Vocabulary

1. tropopause — atmospheric boundary layer between troposphere and stratosphere The air temperature will be at a minimum, ceteris paribus, at the tropopause, rising as the descent is made through the troposphere to the ground.   2. ovinity — the state of sheep, sheep-like nature Hengval believed that most humans lived always in a wretched …

Friday Vocabulary

1. parallax — apparent difference in position due to change in location of observation point Before adjusting for parallax in your rifle scope, make sure that your reticle is properly focused.   2. bursary — [British] college scholarship; institutional treasure, esp. for ecclesiastical institutions Some say that Lord Peter only funded the bursary to make …