WORDLIST

1.

INSOUCIANCE

Calmness and indifference; carefree

(in soo' see ance)

2.
CODA
section

In music, a passage formally ending a composition or

3.

MISOGYNY

Hatred of women

4.

SATURNINE

Sluggish, grave, taciturn, gloomy

(Saturn as god of agriculture was depicted as a bent old
man with a stern, sullen nature)

5.

BEMUSE

To plunge in thought, preoccupy; to confuse or stupefy

6.

WISTFUL

Expressing or showing vague longing or yearning

7.

EPONYMOUS

Relating to a real or mythical thing from whose name

a
nation, race, etc. is derived (William Penn is the eponym of
Pennsylvania)
(i pon' e mus)

8.

CHOLERIC

Showing a quick temper or irascible nature

9.

PROMONOTORY

A peak on high land that juts out into a body of water

10.

DULCET

Soothing or pleasant to hear; melodious

11.

PROTEAN

Readily taking on different shapes or forms

12.

AVUNCULAR

Of, like, or in the relationship of an uncle

(e vunc'kye ler)

13.

BANAL

Dull or stale because of overuse; hackneyed

14.

TEMERITY

Foolish or rash boldness; recklessness

15.

CHURLISH

Surly, ill-bred, miserly (churl ish)

16.

WIZEN

To dry up, wither or shrivel (wiz' n)

17.

HUBRIS

Wanton insolence or arrogance resulting from excessive

pride or passion

18.

PERCIPIENT

A person who percieves

19.

WINSOME

Attractive in a sweet, engaging way; charming

20.

TIMOROUS

Full of or subject to fear; timid

21.

CHIMERICAL

Existing only as the product of an unrestrained

imagination (ki mir' i cal)

22.

DESULTORY

Passing from one thing to another in an aimless

way; random; not methodical (des'l tory)

23.

MIASMIC

Relating to an unwholesome atmosphere,

influence, etc.; relating to poison in the air

24.

MIEN

A way of appearing or conducting oneself; manner or

appearance (meen)

25.

EPIPHANY

Revelation, illumination

26.

SARTORIAL

Relating to tailors or men's clothing

27.

PUISSANT

Powerful; strong [Archaic] (pyoo'i sent)

28.

ERSATZ

Substitute of an inferior nature (er' zats)

29.

EPIGRAM

A short, terse, witty saying, usu. satirical

30.

BALKANIZATION

Division of an area or nation into small, often

incompatible units

31.

SARDONIC

Bitterly sarcastic or disdainful

32.

SAVOIR-FAIRE

Ready knowledge of what to do or say; social poise and tact

33.

ANDROGYNOUS

Of or relating to a hermaphrodite

34.

AVATAR

Incarnation; god's taking on human form

35. BEDOUIN
win)

A nomad or wanderer; any arab of nomadic origin (bed' oo

36.

ENNUI

Weariness from boredom or inactivity

37.

ANGST

Anxiety, dread (on'gst)

38.

PERFIDIOUS

Treacherous; betraying trust

39.

SKULDUGGERY

Dishonest behavior; treachery

40.

PETTIFOGGERY

Legal chicanery

41.

SOLIPSISM

The theory that nothing exists except the self

42.

SOLECISM

A mistake in etiquette, esp. in grammer

(sawl' e sism)

43.

TRUCULENT

Ready to fight; fierce and savage; rude and harsh (truk'yoo

lent)

44.

BETE NOIR

Bugbear; something everyone fears (bate' nwar)

45.

SAGACIOUS

Keenly perceptive or discerning

46.

CALUMNY

A false and malicious statement intended to

harm a person's reputation

47.

OPPROBRIUM

Anything bringing shame, disgrace or

reproachful contempt

48.

LACONIC

Brief or terse in speech or expression

(le con'ic)

49. RETICENT
yourself

Not willing to say much; tending to keep things

to

50.

RETICULAR

Intricate

51.

ERUDITE

Learned; scholarly

52.

TACITURN

Almost always silent, not liking to talk

53.

ORACLE

A person or agency believed to be in communication with a

deity; any person of great wisdom; opinion or statements of
an oracle

54.

APPOSITIVE

Being side by side, next to or near

55.

APOLOGIA

A formal defense of a religion, idea, etc.

(ap a low' gia)

56.

PIQUANT

Stimulating; provocotive

57.

SEGUE

To continue without break into the next part of what follows

58.

APHORISM

A short, concise statement of principle; an adage

59.

ANTIPATHY

Strong dislike

60. APOGEE
farthest

The highest or farthest point; the point in an orbit that is

away from the Earth or another celestial body

61.

PERIGEE

The closest or nearest point

62.

APOPLECTIC

Seeming or about to have a stroke (usu. from rage)

63.

EPISTEMOLOGY

The study or theory of the origin, nature,

methods and limits of human knowledge

64.

APOLOGUE

A short allegorical story with a moral; a fable

65.

SOPHISTRY

Unsound or misleading but subtle argument or reasoning

66.

MISANTHROPE

One who hates mankind

67.

TRUCULANT

Fierce, savage, ready to fight

68.

MEGALOMANIAC

A person with delusions of grandeur, wealth or power

(meg'a lo maniac)

69.

QUEROLOUS

Full of complaint; peevish; given to finding fault

70.

PUTATIVE

Presumed or supposed, reputed

71.

PUSILLANIMOUS

Timid or cowardly (pyoo'slan' e mous)

72.

COURTESAN

A prostitute, esp. as for a nobleman

73.

INVETERATE

Habitual; firmly established over long

practice

74.

REMONSTRATE

Protest; to offer reasons in opposition

75.

FREEMASON

A person who has principles of brotherliness, charity and

mutual aid

76.

LANGUID

Sluggish in character; listless

77.

ADJURE

To urge or advise earnestly; to command solemnly under

oath.

78.

LACHRYMOSE

Given to weeping; tearful

79.

ANIMADVERSION

Adverse criticism

80.

PIECE DE
RESISTANCE

Outstanding item or event; a showpiece

81.

VATICINTOR

A prophesy or prediction

82.

QUI VIVE

Look out; be alert

83.

WELTANSCHAUUNG A comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world

especially from a specific standpoint; world view (VELT-ahnshow-ung ("show" as in "cow"))

84.

CAP-A-PIE

From head to foot (cap-a-pee)

85.

CUMSHAW

present, gratuity; also : bribe, payoff

86.

FULMINATE

To explode violently; to complain vociferously

87.

GAMBOL

Frisk or frolic; to skip about in play

88.

VESPERTINE

Of or relating to the evening

89.

RATIOCINATION

A reasoned train of thought; the process of rational thinking

(rat-ee-oh-suh-NAY-shun)

90.

IMMURE

To close within walls; to imprison.

91. AHISMA

The Hindu and Buddhist doctrine of refraining from harming

any living being (uh-HIM-sa)

92. JOIE DE VIVRE

Keen enjoyment of life (zhwa-de-VEEVR)

93. ZEITGEIST

The general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an

era

94. ENERVATE

To lessen the vitality or strength of

95. PROSAIC

Dull; Unimaginative

96. MYRMIDON

A loyal follower; especially : a subordinate who executes

orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously

97. FULGENT

Dazzlingly brilliant; radiant

98. SALUBRIOUS

Favorable to or promoting good health and well being

99. RISIBLE

Arousing or provoking laughter

100. ZEUGMA

The use of a word to modify or govern two or more words

usually in such a manner that it applies to each in a different

sense or makes sense with only one (as in "She left in a huff
and a Chevy.")
101. COZEN

To deceive, win over, or induce to do something by artful

coaxing and wheedling or shrewd trickery (pronounced
cousin)

102. DOYEN

The senior member of a body or group; a person considered

to be knowledgeable or uniquely skilled as a result of long
experience in some field of endeavor; the oldest example of
a category

103. SOUPON

(Pron. Soup-SAW) A little bit; a trace (originally meant to

refer to a hint of suspicion, but now more generally used)

104. COEVAL

Of the same or equal age, antiquity, or duration.

105. DIAPHANOUS

Ethereal; vague, insubstantial; characterized by extreme

delicacy of form

106. DUENDE

the power to attract through personal magnetism and charm

(doo-EN-day)

107. SCARAMOUCE

A rascal or scamp. A cowardly buffoon.

108. SANG-FROID

Equanimity; imperturbability under stress (San-FRAY)

109. OBTRUDE

To force or impose ones self or ideas

110. PROROGUE

Defer or postpone

111. DEVOIR

Duty; responsibility; a formal act of civility or respect (du

VWAHR)

112. GRAVITAS

High seriousness (GRAV-itus)

113. SWARD

A patch of grass

114. FILLIP

A short, sharp blow; a stimulus; an embellishment

115. ANENT

(Preposition) About or concerning

116. NE PLUS ULTRA

The highest point of excellence; acme (NAY PLUS ULTRA)

117. COULOIR

A steep mountainside gorge (COOL WAAR)

118. RURITANIAN

Having the characteristics of an imaginary place of high

romance (e.g., Tolkeins Middle Earth)

119. FLIVVER

A small, cheap, usually old automobile

120. VIDELICET

Namely; that is to say (usually represented as viz.)

121. PORTMANTEAU

A word that blends two others (e.g., Stagflation)

122. EFFULGENCE

Radiant splendor; brilliance (e FUL gence)

123. DEVOIR

A formal act of civility or respect; duty or responsibility (day

VWAR)

124. CUPIDITY

Lust, desire, avarice, greed (from Cupid, the personification

of carnal desire)

125. MANUMIT

To release from slavery (man = hand + mittere = to let go)

126. SHRIVE

To free from guilt; to administer the act of reconciliation

(from which we get, Shrove Tuesday)

127. GELD

Extremely cold or icy (from which we get gelatin)

128. ABULIA

Lack of ability to act or make decisions

129. POTEMKIN
VILLAGE

An impressive faade designed to hide an undesirable fact

or condition

130. BIBELOT

A small household object or knickknack

131. MEGILLAH

A long, involved story or account

132. VERDIGRIS

A green or bluish deposit that forms on brass, copper or

bronze (patina)

133. TARADIDDLE

A fib; pretentious nonsense

134. SUPERBITY

Haughtiness or arrogance; annoying self satisfaction

135. PERTINACIOUS

Stubbornly unyielding or tenacious in an opinion or purpose

136. BIJOU

Something delicate, elegant, or highly prized; a small,

dainty, usually ornamental piece of delicate workmanship
(as with a jewel)

137. DROSS

The scum that forms on the surface of molten metal; waste

or foreign matter; something that is base, trivial or inferior

(dreives from dregs)

139. GOLEM

An artificial being in Hebrew folklore endowed with life (as in

Frankenstein)

140. DIAPHANOUS

Characterized by extreme delicacy or form (to the point of

being transparent)(from Greek dia [meaning through] and
phainein [meaning show])

141. LIDO

A fashionable beach resort

142. ACME

Apex refers to the point where ascending lines converge.

Summit suggests the topmost point. Pinnacle is often a
dizzying and insecure height. Acme carries the sense of
reaching a level of quality representing perfection.

143. LOTHARIO

A man whose chief interest is in seducing women (from the

1718 play The Fair Penitent)

144. CAVALCADE

A procession of riders, vehicles or ships (from Italian

cavalcata meaning to go on horseback)

145. VINACEOUS

The color of red wine

146. FACTOTUM

A general servant; a person having diverse activities or

responsibilities (literal translation: Do everything!)

147. HEGEMONY

Dominant influence or authority over others

148. KITH

Familiar friends, neighbors or relatives

149. EVANESCENT

Tending to vanish, like vapor

150. DEBOUCH

To march into open ground; to emerge (di BAUCH)

151. PICKWICKIAN

Intended or taken in a sense other than the obvious or literal

one e.g., chiding someone who is cheap for spending too
much on their clothes (reference is a Dickens character who
is simple but generous)

152. SUPERFICIES

The surface of a body; the external aspects or appearance

of a thing (from Latin for on top + face or aspect) (super
FI sheez)

153. GORGONIZE

To freeze with a look or stare; to have a mesmerizing effect

on. (From reference to the Gorgons, of whom Medusa was
the leader)

154. ONEIRIC

Of or relating to dreams (e.g., Dalis paintings have an

oneiric look) (Oh NEYE Rik)

155. PROFLIGATE

Wildly extravagant; prodigal

157. SYLPH

A slender, graceful woman

158. NEBBISH

A timid, meek or ineffectual person

159. NABOB

A person of great wealth or prominence

160. ADDUCE

To offer as example, reason or proof in discussion or

analysis (from Latin ducere, meaning to lead)

161. PERDITION

Utter destruction; hell

162. ACERBATE

To irritate or exasperate

163. QUIDDITY

The essence of something; a trifling point; eccentricity

164. TENDENTIOUS

Biased; tending to favor a particular point of view

165. PERPEND

To ponder; to be reflective

166. DPPELGANGER

A ghostly counterpart of a living person

167. PEREGRINATION

An excursion on foot to a foreign land; a journey

168. ANENT

A preposition meaning about or concerning

169. SYNECDOCHE

A figure of speech where a part is used to represent the

whole or vice versa (e.g., fifty sails to mean fifty ships)

170. PIQUANT

Stimulating to the palate; engagingly provocative (in

reference to food, usu. means stinging taste)

171. DIABLERIE

Representation of black magic; also, lighthearted and

ingeniously mischievous (dee AH ble ree)

172. SOPORIFIC

Causing sleep or drowsiness (saap e RIF ik)

173. TATTOO

Rhythmic tapping of a drum or rapping (from tap-too the

lead in to taps)

174. DOCTRINE OF

An outdated theory that the outward appearance of

something
signaled its having special, curative properties (e.g.,
lungwort, shaped like a lung, having curative properties for

SIGNATURES

lung disease)
175. EXTEMPERANEOUS Composed or performed on the spur of the moment
(extemporaneous suggests something was prepared in
advance but performed without notes or memorization,
whereas impromptu suggests something made up on the
spot)
176. STULTIFY

To cause to appear foolish or illogical; to have a dulling

effect on; to impair or invalidate

177. BAS-RELIEF

Sculpture in which forms are slightly raised from a

surrounding flat surface

178. SOP

A conciliatory or propitiatory bribe, gift or gesture

179. PROPITIATE

Pacify, appease or conciliate

180. DENOUEMENT

The final resolution of the plot of a story or a complex

sequence of events (day new MON); the final part of
something

181. TRANCHE

A division or portion of a pool or a whole (usu. used with

respect to the pooling of bonds) (tron ch)

182. BRUJO

A folk magician or witch (Bruja) in certain African/Caribbean

religions

183. CONSIGLIERE

An attorney for the mafia

184. GAINSAY

To deny or contradict

185. BELIE

To give a false impression of; To show something to be false

or wrong

186. OPPUGN

To controvert or call into question; to fight against

187. PORTMANTEAU

A word whose form or meaning is a blending of two or more

other forms (e.g., smog from smoke and fog) (PORT-mantoe)

188. LESE MAJESTY

"a crime against the state, esp. against the ruler" or "an
attack on a custom or traditional belief"

189. SUSURRATION

A whispering sound or soft rustling

190. ABSTRUSE

Difficult to understand (in contrast to obtuse, which

means dull or stupid)

191. PARALIPSIS

Drawing attention to something while claiming to be

passing over it. ("not to mention")

192. APOPHASIS

Allusion to something by denying it will be said. ("It's

an Afghan apophasis. By claiming he does not want to
participate in a political process that is hopelessly overrun
with corruption, Abdullah is acknowledging just the opposite
-- that he very much wants power and influence in the
Afghan political realm." Teddy Minch; Well Now What?; The
Tufts Daily (Medford, Massachusetts); Nov 4, 2009.)

193. FROWSTY

(FROU sty) Have a stale or musty smell

194. CHARIVARI

(shiv a REE) -- 1. A noisy, mock serenade to a newly

married couple, involving the banging of kettles, pots, and
pans.2. A confused, noisy spectacle

195. CAPTIOUS

Having an inclination to find faults, especially of a

trivial nature

196. GASCONADE

Boastful talk; To boast extravagantly

197. DYSPEPTIC

Irritable, gloomy, having a bad temper

198. STIPPLED

Having a pattern of dots or short strokes

199. DIKTAT

(dik TAT) An order or decree imposed without popular

consent. A harsh settlement imposed on a defeated party.

200. EFFULGENT

Radiant; shining brilliantly

201. DAUPHIN

Heir apparent in business, politics, etc. (From the title of the

eldest son of a king of France and the direct heir to the
throne, from 1350 to 1830. The title came from the dolphins
that adorned the coat of arms)

202. GOLGOTHA

(GOL ga tha) A place or occasion of great suffering. A burial

place.

203. MOUNTEBANK

An unscrupulous pretender; a quack.

204. RECONDITE

Concerned with a profound, esoteric, or difficult subject;

Obscure; Little known.

205. SURFEIT

An excessive amount of something. (SIRF-it)

206. BILIOUS

Peevish and ill-natured

207. PREPOSSESSING Attractive. Making a favorable impression.

208.WASTREL

A good-for-nothing, wasteful person (WAY-strel)

209. DILETTANTE

One who takes up an activity or interest in a superficial or

casual way; amateur

210. POSEUR

One who acts in an affected manner in order to impress

others

211. CRIE DE COEUR

A passionate outcry; a cry from the heart (pron CREE de

CUR)

212. ASYMPTOTIC

A line whose distance to a given curve tends to

zero.

213. BILLET-DOUX

(bill-ay DOO) A love letter

214. CYNOSURE

(SIN a sure) Something that acts as a guide (from

Cynosura, the Latin name for Ursa Minor)

215. LOUCHE

(Loosh) Not reputable or decent (a louche neighborhood)

216. ZYGOTE

(Zahy goat or Zig goat) A fertilized egg

217. FERRAGO

(Fir RAH go) Hodgepodge, a confused mixture

218. PELLUCID

Clear, easy to understand; also, reflecting light from all

surfaces, letting the maximum amount of light in

219. BLANDISH

To charm or flatter

220. ASPERITY

Roughness of feel or sound

221. LACUNA

A blank space or missing part (such as in a story); a cavity

or pit

222. FARRAGO

(Fa RAH go) Assortment, olio

223. BUMFUZZLE

Perplex, confuse

224. CATTYWAMPUS

Askew, awry (from catty-corner)

225. TARADIDDLE

Pretentious nonsense

226. BILLINGSGATE

Coarse, abusive language (derives from the name of a 14 th

century London fish market where the vendors cursed
constantly)

227. SNICKERSNEE

A large knife

228. PHANTASMAGORIA
A sequence of fantastic imagery, illusions, etc. (In the
late 18th and 19th century, use of a magic lantern (an early
form of slide projector) to display fantastic images was
popular. It was known as a phantasmagoria and was first
exhibited in London in 1802)
229. COSSETED

Pampered (a cosset is a pet lamb)

230. MTIER

Forte; strength

231. ANTIPODES

Being on opposite sides of the earth; the exact opposite of

someone or something

232. SINECURE

An office or position that requires little or no work and

that usually provides an income; archaic : an ecclesiastical
benefice without cure of souls (Medieval Latin sine cura
without cure (of souls) (SINE a cure)

233. SEPULCHRAL

Of or relating to a sepulchre or tomb; black; cheerless

(se PULL chrl)

234. CONFRERE

Colleague; a fellow member of a profession,

fraternity, etc. (KON frer)

235. BLANDISH

To coax with flattery

236. IMPORTUNE

To ask someone, repeatedly or annoyingly, to do something

237. GEWGAW

A showy thing, esp. one that is useless or worthless

238. FEBRILE

Feverish

239. ROCOCO

An artistic style especially of the 18th century

characterized by fanciful curved asymmetrical forms and
elaborate ornamentation; excessively ornate or intricate

240. EMINENCE GRISE

A respected authority

241. LACUNA

A gap or blank space in something;: a missing part

242. PUKKA

Genuine, authentic, First Class (also sp. PUCKA)

243. INEFFABLE

Too great, powerful, beautiful, etc., to be described or

expressed

244. FRONTISPIECE

A picture in the front of a book; the front edifice of a building

245. THRUMMING

A tuft or short piece of rope yarn; a bit or particle; a

hair, fiber, or threadlike leaf on a plant

246. SUPPURATION

To form or discharge pus

247. VIZIER

A high executive officer of various Muslim

countries and especially of the Ottoman Empire

248. GARRET

A room or unfinished part of a house just under the roof

249. MORDANT

Biting and caustic in thought, manner and style

250. INVOLUTING

Curled spirally; involved and convoluted

251. ADJUVANT

Auxiliary; assisting in the prevention, amelioration, or

cure of disease

252. TROPE

A figure of speech (a word or expression used

in a figurative sense); also, a cliche

253. FLOCCULENT

Made up of loosely, aggregated particles (like snow)

254. COSSETED

Pampered; to treat as a pet (a cosset is a lamb)

255. SEMIOTIC

The study of signs and symbols and how theyre used

256. SCLEROTIC

Relating to the sclera (white area of the eye)

257. NOESIS

The operation of reason; cognition; perception (no EE-sis)

258. PUCKISH

Having the desire to cause trouble in a harmful or

playful way

259. BRIO

Enthusiastic vigor; verve

260. DEMIMONDE

A class of women on the fringes of respectable

society supported by wealthy lovers; also a prostitute (Also
referred to as a demimondaine)

261. QUADROON

A person of one-quarter black ancestry

262. VESTIGIAL

Smallest trace or quantity

263. PERIPETEIA

A sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances

(esp. in a literary work)

264. RECHAUFFE

1. Warmed leftover food. 2. Rehash: old reworked

material. (ray-sho-FAY)

265. PIFFLE

To talk or act in a trivial, inept or ineffective

way.

266. COFFLE

A train of slaves or animals tied together.

267. MAGNIFICAT

An utterance of praise; the hymn of the Virgin Mary in

Luke, 1:46-55.

268. PORTE COCHERE

A covered entrance large enough for vehicles to pass

through; a porch where vehicles stop to discharge
passengers (Port Co-SHER)

269. BRIO

Vigor, vivacity

270. EXEGESIS

Critical explanation or interpretation of a text,

especially of scripture

271. AFFLUENTIAL

Having power and influence because of wealth

272. PRCIS

A summary or abstract of a text or speech

(PRAY see)

273. CRENELLATION
274. PRAXIS

A rampart built around the top of a castle with regular gaps

for firing arrows or guns
A practical application of a theory

275. COTERIE

A small group of people with shared interests or

tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people; an
inner circle

276. HEURISTIC

Enabling a person to discover or learn something for

themselves (hands on)

277. PARVENU

One who has recently or suddenly risen to wealth or

power and has not yet secured the social position
associated with it

278.

20 Words for That Certain Something

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 11:22 PM PDT

Some people have it, and some people dont. But what, exactly, is it? Heres a list of words describing a
special quality that sets certain people apart from others, and their meanings:
1. Brio: vivaciousness (Italian, fire, life, perhaps from the word for vigor from a form of French)
2. Charisma: charm or personal magnetism (from the Greek word meaning favor)
3. Chutzpah: admirable or excessive self-confidence; this word and ginger are the only ones on this list
that have both positive and negative connotations (from Hebrew by way of Yiddish; several other
spellings are used, but this one is the most common)
4. Duende: charm (from Spanish dialect, meaning ghost)
5. lan: enthusiasm (from the French word eslan, meaning rush, with the same Latin root from
which lance is derived)
6. Esprit: vivacious wit (French, from the Latin term spiritus, spirit)
7. Flair: style, or talent or tendency (from the French word meaning odor or scent, ultimately from
Latin flagrare, an alteration of fragrare, from which fragrance is derived)
8. Ginger: spirit, or temper (from the Latin term zingiberis, for the root used as a spice and a medicine,
derived from the Sanskrit word srngaveram)
9. Gumption: initiative (from a Scottish word meaning shrewdness, perhaps from a Germanic term
meaning attention)
10. Gusto: enthusiasm (the Italian word for taste, from the Latin term gustus)
11. Je ne sais quoi: a quality not easily described or expressed (a French phrase that means literally I
know not what)
12. Knack: intuitive capacity or knowledge (originally meant trick; perhaps from the onomatopoeic
word akin to knock)
13. Mettle: vigor, stamina (from an alternate spelling of metal)
14. Moxie: energy, enthusiasm, courage (from the brand name of a soft drink; early on, such beverages
were often touted, long before the advent of energy drinks, as providing pep)
15. Panache: flamboyance; originally, a decorative plume of feathers on a helmet (from the Latin term
pinnaculum, meaning small wing, by way of Italian and French)
16. Pizzazz: glamour, vitality (unknown etymology)
17. Savoir faire: self-assuredness, talent for knowing how to conduct oneself (from the French term
savoir-faire, meaning knowing how to do, from the Latin words sapere, meaning know, and facere,
meaning do)
18. Savoir vivre: knowledge of appropriate behavior (from the French word savoir-vivre, knowing
how to live, from the Latin terms sapere, meaning know, and vivre, meaning live)
19. Spunk: courage, pluck (from the Gaelic word spong, meaning tinder, ultimately derived from the
Latin term spongia, from which sponge is also derived)
20. Verve: vivacity, energy, enthusiasm (ultimately from the Latin term verbum, meaning word,
because of the early sense of flair for speaking or writing)