#120 bane

bane- a person or thing that causes misery or distress; something that causes death or destruction; a fatal poison

-baneful (adj.)

- Old English bana related to Old Norse bani- death; Old High German bano- destruction

Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society. ~ Thomas Paine

The disease of mutual distrust among nations is the bane of modern civilization. ~ Franz Boas

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#119 banal

banal- (adj.) lacking force or originality; trite; commonplace

- C18 from Old French- relating to compulsory feudal service, hence, common to all

In science, all facts, no matter how trivial or banal, enjoy democratic equality. ~ Mary McCarthy

To some, the '50s were a decade marked by the banal, the predictable. ~ Annette Funicello

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#118 balm

balm- various oily aromatic resinous substances obtained from certain tropical trees and used for healing and soothing

- C13 from Old French basme, from Latin balsamum

Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love. ~ Jane Austin

For the mind disturbed, the still beauty of dawn is nature's finest balm. ~ Edwin Teale

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#117 ballyhoo

ballyhoo (informal)- a noisy, confused, or nonsensical situation or uproar; sensational or blatant advertising or publicity

-C19 of uncertain origin

It was you who nabbed that red trailer all the radio ballyhoo is about.

We are here to detach the ballyhoo from the hopefulness.

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#116 ballista

ballista- an ancient catapult for hurling stones; an ancient form of large crossbow used to propel a spear

- C16 from Latin, Greek ballein- to throw

He looked at the tip of his finger, as if it were a bow or a ballista through which he shot his curses.

His classroom was filled with a beckoning assortment of models of bridges and embankments, topography of famous battle sites, ancient ballista, pontoons, carts, and earthworks of all sorts.

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#115 baklava or baclava

baklava or baclava- a rich cake of Middle Eastern origin consisting of thin layers of pastry filled with nuts and honey

- from Turkish

Save plenty of room for Arabic pastries called batlawa (the Greeks call it baklava) from Shatila in Dearborn, as much a bakery as a local gathering spot for families.

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#114 baguette or baguet

baguette or baguet- a small gem cut as a long rectangle; the shape of such a gem; a narrow French stick loaf

- C18 from French, from Italian bacchetta, from Latin baculum- walking stick

Omelettes and crepes, sweet and savory, dominate the menu but for a lighter and classic French pairing, there is the café au lait with either a croissant or baguette.

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#113 bagatelle

bagatelle- something of little value or significance; trifle; a short light piece of music

- C17 from French, Italian bagatta- a little possession

"The greatest mystery in this baseball bagatelle is its title, and the mystery isn't solved until the last page, when Honig explains that many countries have four seasons but only America has a fifth, the baseball season, "a timeless time that arches over the full calendar, evoking and embracing hope and optimism, action and excitement, fantasy and reality, memory and reminiscence. ''

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#112 badinage

badinage- playful, frivolous repartee or banter

- C17 from French badiner- to jest, banter

He challenged me, in badinage, as though he had a right to offer a solution.

Under such circumstances abuse and badinage is unacceptable.

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#111 baculum

baculum- a bony support in the penis of certain mammals, especially the carnivores

- C20 New Latin, from Latin baculum- stick, staff

The witch fondled the carved baculum wand and regarded her thrall.

(Too interesting to pass up.)

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#110 azure

azure- a deep, purplish blue

- C14 from Old French azur, from Old Spanish, Arabic lazaward- lapis lazuli

It had a hair-tie of a silver clasp with two matching silver chains ending in azure crystals.

He was resplendent in azure and emerald silks, overlaid with fine leather bindings and straps.

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#109 axiom

axiom- a generally accepted proposition or principle, sanctioned by experience; maxim; a universally established principle or law that is not a necessary truth

- C15 from Latin axioma, from Greek axioun- worthy principle

It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important. ~ Arthur Conan Doyle

Perhaps the truest axiom in baseball is that the toughest thing to do is repeat. ~ Walt Alston

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#108 avocation

avocation- a minor occupation undertaken as a diversion

- C17 from Latin avocatio- a calling away, diversion from, from avocare- to distract

My object in living is to unite
My avocation and vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight. ~ Robert Frost

(Frost certainly made this aspiration come true in his life.)

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#107 aversion

averse (adjective)- opposed, disinclined, or loath

- C16 from Latin aversus- to turn from

- also aversion

I always had, deep down, a slight aversion toward the purely cerebral in music. ~Esa Salonen

Jealousy - that jumble of secret worship and ostensible aversion. ~ Emile Cioran

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#106 avatar

avatar- the manifestation of a diety, notably Vishnu, in human, superhuman, or animal form; a visible manifestation or embodiment of an abstract concept; archetype

- C18 from Sanskrit avatara-going down, descending

There's a screech, a nerve-wracking caterwauling, and Manni yells, bright parallel blood-tracks on his arm -- the avatar is a real fleshbody in its own right, with an autonomic control system that isn't going to give up without a fight, whatever its vastly larger exocortex thinks -- but Manni's scythe slashes, and there's a horrible bubbling noise and a spray of blood as the pussy-cat thing goes flying. ~ Asimov

Of course, the movie Avatar comes to mind here. The protagonist receives a second, computer enhanced identity which enables him to communicate with the sensitive aboriginals.

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#105 auto as prefix - autocracy

auto as prefix, from Greek autos- self

- As I go through the dictionary, I see the prefixes jump out at me. When one knows 'auto' means self, then so many words make sense:

autobiography, autocracy, autohynosis, autokinetic...

The deadliest foe of democracy is not autocracy but liberty frenzied. ~ Otto Kahn

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#104 autism

autism- abnormal self absorption, usually affecting children, characterized by lack of response to people, and limited ability to communicate; children who suffer from autism do not learn to speak

- from Greek autos - self + ism

- Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in our nation. ~ Mary Bono

One out of six women are toxic with mercury. Mercury comes out of coal plants and chlorine plants. I am toxic, I deal with symptoms, children are born with, you know, autism - there is an epidemic in this country. This is like, the air that we breath. ~ Daphne Zuniga

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#103 austere

austere (adj.)- stern or severe in attitude or manner; grave, sober, or serious; self disciplined, ascetic; severely simple or plain

- austerity (noun)

- C14 from Old French austere, from Latin austerus- sour from Greek austeros- astringent

-The austere schoolmaster taught oblivious of individual student needs.

- There is no austerity equal to a balanced mind, and there is no happiness equal to contentment; there is no disease like covetousness, and no virtue like mercy. ~ Chanakya

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#102 aureate

aureate (adj.)- covered with gold; gilded; of a golden colour; of writing- excessively elaborate or ornate; florid

-C15 from Latin Latin aureatus, aureus, from aurum- gold

- also aureole or aureola(noun)

It was one of those rare afternoons when all the thickness and shadow of London are changed to a kind of shining, pulsing, special atmosphere; when the smoky vapors become fluttering golden clouds, nacreous veils of pink and amber; when all that bleakness of gray stone and dullness of dirty brick trembles in aureate light, and all the roofs and spires, and one great dome, are floated in golden haze. ~ Alexanders Bridge

Raymond came back with money, position, and a certain aureole of personal distinction

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#101 audacious

audacious (adj.)- recklessly bold or daring; fearless; impudentor presumptuous

- C16 from Latin audax- bold, from audere- to dare

- audaciously, audacity

I look forward to growing old and wise and audacious. ~ Glenda Jackson

Fortune favors the audacious. ~ Desiderius Erasmus

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#100 aubade

aubade- a song or poem appropriate to or greeting the dawn; idyllic prelude

- from French aubada,- dawn, from Latin albus- white

HARK! hark! the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phoebus 'gins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs
On chaliced flowers that lies;
And winking Mary-buds begin
To ope their golden eyes:
With everything that pretty bin,
My lady sweet, arise!
Arise, arise! Aubade, by William Shakespeare

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#99 atrophy

atrophy- a wasting away of an organ or part, or a failure to grow to normal size as the result of disease, faulty nutrition; any degeneration or diminution, especially through lack of use

- C17 from Latin atrophia, from Greek atrophos- ill fed

If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

It would be a bitter cosmic joke if we destroy ourselves due to atrophy of the imagination. ~ Martha Gellhorn

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#98 atonement

atonement- satisfaction, reparation, or expiation given for an injury or wrong; the reconciliation of man with God through the life, sufferings, and sacrificial death of Christ

-C16 from Middle English phrase at onement- in harmony

My mother was a modern woman with a limited interest in religion. When the sun set and the fast of the Day of Atonement ended, she shot from the synagogue like a rocket to dance the Charleston. ~ Lionel Blue

You can't get real happy or real depressed when you play baseball. Baseball is a great sport in that it offers a player a lot of opportunities for atonement. ~ Mike Piazza

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#97 ataraxia

ataraxia- calmness or peace of mind; emotional tranquility

- C17 from Greek ataraktos- undisturbed, serenity

All three schools stressed the overarching value of ataraxia, the absence of disturbance in the soul.

For the Epicurians, ataraxia was synonymous with the only true happiness possible for a person. It signifies the state of robust tranquility that derives from eschewing faith in an afterlife, not fearing the gods because they are distant and unconcerned with us, avoiding politics and vexatious people, surrounding oneself with trustworthy and affectionate friends and, most importantly, being an affectionate, virtuous person, worthy of trust.

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#96 astute

astute (adjective)- having insight or acumen; perceptive; shrewd

- C17 from Latin astutus - cunning; astus- clever

- also astutely (adverb); astuteness (noun)

One of the funny things about the stock market is that every time one person buys, another sells, and both think they are astute. ~ William Feather

Well, I don't know how astute I am, but I did want to be a journalist when I was growing up. ~ Carol Burnett

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#95 assuage

assuage- to soothe, moderate, or relieve (grief, pain); to give relief to (thirst, appetite); satisfy; to pacify, calm

- from old French C14 assouagier, from Latin suavis- pleasant

This is to assuage our conscience, darling" she would explain to Blanca. "But it doesn't help the poor. They don't need charity; they need justice. ~Isabel Allende

I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage. ~Arthur Schopenhauer

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#94 assonance

assonance- the use of the same vowel sound with different consonants or the same consonant with different vowels in successive words or stressed syllables, as in a line of verse

-C18 from French, Latin assonare to sound; assonant (adj.),

The setting sun was licking the hard bright machine like some great invisible beast on its knees. ~ John Hawkes

I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless.

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#93 assay

#93 assay- to subject a substance to chemical analysis to determine purity; to attempt

-C14 from French assai

- also assayable (adj.); assayer (noun)

To assay a substance is often done within chemistry circles.

A notable feature of this assay is the speed and ease of reagent additions.

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#92 asperity

#92 asperity- roughness or sharpness of temper; roughness or harshness of a surface, sound, taste,; condition hard to endure; affliction

- C16 from Latin asperitas- rough

In the question of the grazing lands his peevish asperity is notorious. ~ Ulysses

He had a reserved manner and a certain "asperity of temper" which distanced himself from his peers.

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#91 ashram

ashram- a religious retreat or community where a Hindu holy man lives; a house that provides accommodation for destitute people

- from Sanskrit- asrama- religious exertion

For some, the ashram is a working vacation, with its emphasis on service rather than study.

Ashram is testing us in ways we never expected because we really are spoiled brat little princesses.

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