#90 assiduous

#90 assiduous (adjective)- hard working, persevering

- C16 from Latin assiduus- sitting down to something

- also assiduously (adverb); assiduousness (noun)

Great risks come in long term, tremendously assiduous, very courageous study. ~ William Hurt

The Mind that lies fallow but a single Day, sprouts up in Follies that are only to be killed by a constant and assiduous Culture. ~ Joseph Addison

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#89 ascetic

ascetic- a person who practises great self-denial and austerities and abstains from worldly comforts and pleasures, especially for religious reasons; a monk in the early Christian church

- C17 from Greek asketikos, askein- to exercise

- asceticism (noun), ascetically (adverb)

The ascetic makes a necessity of virtue. <blockquote><a href="http://www.quotecosmos.com/quotes/3301/view">The ascetic makes a necessity of virtue..</a></blockquote><br /> <a href="http://www.quotecosmos.com/authors/5347/Friedrich_Nietzsche">Nietzsche, Friedrich</a><br /> Quote from <a href="http://quotecosmos.com">Quote Cosmos</a> ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

If a hermit or ascetic lives in a state of ecstasy, his lack of comfort becomes the height of comfort. ~ Jean Cocteau

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#88 artifice

#88 artifice- a clever expedient; ingenious stratagem; crafty or subtle deception; skill, cleverness

- C16 from Latin artificium- skill; also artificer- a skilled craftsman

I always like to reveal the fact that the emperor has no clothes. And children are best at that. They teach us how to see the world in that sense. They are without artifice; they see it for what it is. I am drawn to that ruthless honesty. ~Mira Nair

Art, whose honesty must work through artifice, cannot avoid cheating truth. ~Adrienne Rich

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#87 aroha

#87 aroha- love, compassion, or affectionate regard

- from Maori, New Zealand

It is about a return to values such as aroha, hospitality, generosity and mutual respect.

To show aroha you must care for those around you and make sure that they are happy, because if they aren't, you aren't.

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#86 argosy

#86 argosy- a large abundantly laden ship or a fleet of such ships

-C16 from Italian Ragusea- nave, ship of Ragusa

"Your mind is tossing on the ocean, There where your argosies with portly sail Like signiors and rich burghers on the flood Or as it were the pageants of the sea - Do overpeer the petty traffickers That curtsy to them, do them reverence, As they fly by them with their woven wings.” ~ Bassanio to Antonio in Merchant of Venice

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#85 arete

#85 arete- a sharp ridge separating two cirques or glacial valleys in mountainous regions

- C19 from French: fishbone, backbone of a fish, ridge, sharp edge, from Latin arista- ear of corn, fishbone

Our flight from Paris to Florence, Italy on a clear day in March took us over the Alps which were covered in snow. The aretes were clearly seen creating a giant mosaic.

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#84 ardent

#84 ardent- adj.- expressive of or characterized by intense desire or emotion; passionate: ardent love; intensely enthusiastic; eager: an ardent longing

- C14 from Latin ardere- to burn; ardency- noun; ardently- adverb

I became an ardent, but never a specially good, dancer. ~ George Brandes

Stubborn and ardent clinging to one's opinion is the best proof of stupidity. ~ Michel de Montaigne

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#83 archetype

#83 archetype- a perfect or typical specimen; an original model or pattern; one of the inherited mental images postulated by Jung as the content of the collective unconscious; a constantly recurring symbol or motif in literature, painting, etc.

- C17 from Latin archetypum, from Greek arkhetupon; adj.- archetypal, archetypical

Some story archetypes include the hero, maiden, sage, magician, earth mother, witch, sorceress, trickster...

I look at the story, I look at the idea and just try to think of it in terms of that whole body of myth and see where the characters fit in and what they ought to be doing-all those archetypes are there to play with. ~ John Boorman

Most religious stories and mythologies have some sort of similar root, some sort of global archetypes. ~ Maynard James Keenan

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#82 arcane

#82 arcane- requiring secret knowledge to be understood; mysterious, esoteric

-C16 from Latin arcanus- secret, hidden

The inquisition became arcane, almost bizarre, as they forced him to sharpen and redefine every item of his experiences, probing and testing every concept he put forward as he plunged, in memory, back into what had happened.

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#81 apropos

#81 apropos (adjective)- appropriate, pertinent; (adverb)- appropriately or pertinently; with regard to, in respect of

- C17 from French- to the purpose

These reflections, so apropos, agitated me to such a degree as to make me shed tears.

This quote seems apropos of the time even though it was written over a century ago.

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#80 apposition

#80 apposition- putting into juxtaposition, a grammatical construction of a noun phrase

(I include this word because it has great potential when composing thoughts.)

The Internet which is a vast web of communications is transforming business and networking.

Better is to construct a noun in apposition: The Internet, a vast web of communications, is transforming business and networking.

Another example of noun in apposition: The outcome of the meeting, a forged alliance, led to future resolutions.

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#79 apparition

#79 apparition- an appearance, especially of a ghostlike figure, phantom, spectre

- from Latin apparitio, apparere- to appear

In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition...~ Michelangelo

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#78 apothecary

#78 apothecary- an archaic word for chemist, someone to prescribe, prepare, and sell drugs

-C14 from Old French apotecaire, from Latin apothecarius- warehouseman, from Greek apotheke- storehouse

The apothecary provided Romeo with a dram of poison.

Give me an ounce of civet, good apothecary, to sweeten my imagination.

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#77 aporia

#77 aporia- a doubt, real or professed, about what to do or say regarding rhetoric or philosophy

- C16 from Greek- a state of being at loss; aporetic (adjective)

-Aristotle mentions it explicitly as an aporia or difficulty that must be resolved.

-The debater experienced aporia and was at a loss as to what course to pursue and what to say.

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#76 apoplexy

#76 apoplexy- sudden loss of consciousness, often followed by paralysis, caused by rupture of a blood vessel

- C14 from Old French apoplexie, from Latin apoplexia, from Greek apoplessein- to cripple by a stroke

The rich ate and drank freely, accepting gout and apoplexy as things that ran mysteriously in respectable families. ~ George Eliot

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#75 apologue

#75 apologue- an allegory or moral fable

- C17 from Latin, from Greek apologos

At the time this apologue amused me; in the light of later events it assumed a tragic significance. — Oscar Wilde

LOVE came to crave sweet love, if love might be;
To the Beloved's door he came, and knocked: - ... A Persian Apologue

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#74 apocalypse

#74 apocalypse- a prophetic disclosure or revelation; an event of great importance, violence, etc.

C13 from Late Latin apocalypsis, From Breek apokalupsis- to disclose

The translation of the Greek word apocalypse has produced the better known English equivalent - "revelation."

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#73 aplomb

#73 aplomb- equanimity, self-confidence, self-possession

- C18 from French: rectitude, uprightness, from a plomb according to the plumb line, vertically

He had great aplomb, and was troubled by no shyness nor hesitation.

Her aplomb was an ice coating over her terror and confusion.

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#72 aphrodisiac

#72 aphrodisiac- a drug, food, etc. that excites sexual desire

- from Greek aphrodisiakos, aphrodisios- belonging to Aphrodite

Money is not an aphrodisiac: the desire it may kindle in the female eye is more for the cash than the carrier. ~Marya Mannes

There is no aphrodisiac like innocence. ~ Jean Baudrillard

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#71 aphorism

#71 aphorism- a short pithy saying expressing a general truth; maxim

- C16 from Latin aphorismus, from Greek aphorismos- definition

Several aphorisms:
The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it. ~ Jacques Cousteau

Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds. ~ Albert Einstein

We endeavor to stuff the universe into the gullet of an aphorism. ~ Paul Eldridge

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#70 aperitif

#70 aperitif- an alcoholic drink, especially a wine, drunk before a meal to whet the appetite

- C19 from French, from Latin aperire- to open

The decline of the aperitif may well be one of the most depressing phenomena of our time. ~ Lius Bunuel, Spanish film director

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#69 apathy

#69 apathy- absence of interest in or enthusiasm for things generally considered interesting or moving; absence of emotion

-C17 from Latin, from Greek apatheia, pathos-feeling

I have a very strong feeling that the opposite of love is not hate - it's apathy. It's not giving a damn. ~ Leo Buscaglia

Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy? I don't know and I don't care. ~ William Safire

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#68 antithesis

#68 antithesis- the exact opposite, contrast or opposition; the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, phrases or words so as to produce an effect of balance.

-C15 via Latin, Greek anti tithenai- to place

An example of antithesis is, "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below."

Socialism is the antithesis of free-market capitalism.

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#67 antipathy

#67 antipathy- a feeling of intense aversion, dislike, hostility

- C17 from Latin antipathia, Greek antipatheia, patheia- feeling

Sympathy constitutes friendship; but in love there is a sort of antipathy, or opposing passion. Each strives to be the other, and both together make up one whole. ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. ~ Barack Obama

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#66 antihero

#66 antihero- a central character in a novel, play...who lacks the traditional heroic virtues

- the Greek prefix anti- against, opposing applies

Dexter is an antihero. He's a forensic blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, but by night he's a serial killer who murders criminals or other immoral people.

Victor as antihero is the scientist who creates the Frankenstein creature out of human corpse bits. As a young man, he loved reading about science and creating life. After playing God and creating his monster, however, he is unable to deal with his arrogant endeavors.

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#65 anti (prefix) anticlimax

#65 anti (prefix)

- from Greek anti- opposing, against

This prefix needs to be recognized for the myriad words it begins: antifreeze, antihistamine, antisocial, ....

-anticlimax- a disappointing or ineffective conclusion to a series of events; a sudden change from a serious subject to one that is disappointing or ludicrous

In the anticlimax pirates finally found the treasure chest... only to find it empty.

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#64 anthology

#64 anthology- a collection of literary passages or works by various authors

-C17 from medieval Latin, from Greek anthologia- a flower gathering from anthos- flower

Most good libraries have an anthology of Shakespeare's works including his sonnets. They are, indeed, a collection which can be likened to a floral bouquet of literary delights.

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#63 antecede

#63 antecede- to go before, precede

- ante- prefix Latin

- antedate, antechamber, antecedent, antediluvian,

- Security will antecede the arrival of the chief of state.

-Everyone wanted to go to the concert to see his, her favourite performer. One uses his, her here because everyone, the antecedent, is singular. (My English teaching is coming out here.) To avoid his,her use people for everyone and then you may use their.

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#62 annular

#62 annualer (adjective)- ring shaped, of or forming a ring

-C16 from Latin annularis- ring

- also annulate (adj), C19 from Latin anulatus

The mollusks were annular - donut - shaped areas around the vessel.

The tree stump revealed an intricate annualer design.

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#61 ankh

#61 ankh- a tall cross with a loop on the top, symbolizing eternal life: often appearing in Egyptian personal names, such as Tutankhamen

- from Egyptian nh- life, soul

In his right hand he held the war-bow and in his left the ankh, for life and death were his to dispense.

My trained eye immediately fell on an ankh sign shaped from lapis and a tiny turquoise chick.

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#60 animism

#60 animism- the belief that natural objects phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls; in the philosophies of Plato and Pythagoras, the hypothesis that there is an immaterial force that animates the universe

- C19 from Latin anima- vital breath, spirit, animist, animistic

The religion had retained traces of animism, belief in reincarnation, and ancestor worship.

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