View source for Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2006/September

{{wotd archive|August|October|2006|30}}

==1==
{{wotd|brazen-faced|adj|Impudent; open and without shame|September|1}}
==2==
{{wotd|hedonism|n|(''philosophy''): The belief that pleasure or happiness is the highest good in life.
# A lifestyle based on or implying hedonism|September|2}}
==3==
{{wotd|sublimate|v|(''chemistry''): To  change state from a solid to a gas (or from a gas to a solid) without passing through the liquid state.
# To redirect the natural expression of a sexual or primitive instinct in a socially acceptable activity|September|3}}
==4==
{{wotd|caesura|n|A a pause or interruption in a poem, music, building or other work of art.
# In Classical prosody, using two words to divide a metrical foot|September|4}}
==5==
{{wotd|nemorous|adj|Full of trees, dark with shady groves|September|5}}
==6==
{{wotd|sidereal|adj|Pertaining to the stars.
# (''astronomy''): Pertaining to a measurement of time made relative to the position of the stars|September|6}}
==7==
{{wotd|ameliorate|v|To make better, to improve; to heal or solve a problem|September|7}}
==8==
{{wotd|funambulate|v|To walk on ropes; to tightrope-walk|September|8}}
==9==
{{wotd|phantasmagoria|n|A series of events involving rapid changes in light intensity and colour.
# A dreamlike state where real and imagined elements are blurred together|September|9}}
==10==
{{wotd|galvanise|v|To To shock or stimulate into sudden activity.
# To coat with rust-resistant zinc.
# (''chemistry''): To coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means|September|10}}
==11==
{{wotd|deasil|adv|Clockwise; following the direction of the sun's movement.
# Turning towards the right|September|11}}
==12==
{{wotd|pontificate|v|To to speak at length or be unnecessarily wordy, often in a patronizing or pompous manner.
# To express one's position as if it is absolutely right.
# To preside, as at a religious ceremony|September|12}}
==13==
{{wotd|fermata|n|(''music''): A notation to hold a note for longer than its usual duration, until the conductor cuts it off|September|13}}
==14==
{{wotd|clandestine|adj|Done or kept in secret, sometimes to conceal an illicit or improper purpose|September|14}}
==15==
{{wotd|mete|v|To measure.
# To dispense punishment or suffering|September|15}}
==16==
{{wotd|vicarious|adj|Experienced or gained through someone else; done by watching or reading rather than through personal experience|September|16}}
==17==
{{wotd|diphthong|n|(''phonetics''): A complex vowel sound that begins with the sound of one vowel and ends with the sound of another vowel|September|17}}
==18==
{{wotd|ardor|n|Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion|September|18}}
==19==
{{wotd|reconnoiter|v|To survey something (generally an enemy's land and position)|September|19}}
==20==
{{wotd|internecine|adj|Mutually destructive, most often applied to warfare.
# Struggle within a group, usually applied to an ethnic or familial relationship|September|20}}
==21==
{{wotd|thaumaturgy|n|The working of miracles.
# Magic, witchcraft, wizardry|September|21}}
==22==
{{wotd|expectorate|v|To cough up fluid from the lungs.
# To spit|September|22}}
==23==
{{wotd|nadir|n|(''astronomy''): The point of the celestial sphere, directly opposite the zenith.
# The lowest point; time of greatest depression|September|23}}
==24==
{{wotd|quaquaversal|adj|Going off in all directions at once|September|24}}
==25==
{{wotd|exiguous|adj|Extremely scanty; meager|September|25}}
==26==
{{wotd|synecdoche|n|A form of metaphor, whereby an inclusive term stands for something included, or vice versa|September|26}}
==27==
{{wotd|bellwether|n|Anything that indicates future trends|September|27}}
==28==
{{wotd|wroth|adj|Full of anger; wrathful|September|28}}
==29==
{{wotd|assuage|v|To lessen the intensity of; to pacify; to soothe|September|29}}
==30==
{{wotd|southpaw|n|A left-handed person, especially in sports|September|30}}