#479 farce

farce- a broadly humorous play based on the exploitation of improbable situations; a ludicrous situation or action

C14 Old French, Latin farcire to stuff

Using ethnic cuisine as an anchor for a romantic comedy, family melodrama, or fierce farce is not as easy as it sounds.

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#478 fantasia

fantasia- any musical composition of a free or improvisatory nature; a potpourri of popular tunes woven freely into a loosely bound composition

C18 from Italian: fancy

The artistic director, created a musical fantasia in homage to the singer, selecting songs that were meaningful to the artist.

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#477 fandango

fandango- an old Spanish courtship dance in triple time between a couple who dance closely and provocatively; a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

C18 Spanish

She felt them twirling around in her brain, the same way she herself had been twirling these last months, her feet and legs learning to dance the complex steps of the alegría and the bulería and the fandango.

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#476 fallow

fallow- land left unseeded after being ploughed and harrowed to regain fertility for a crop; of and an idea, state of mind- undeveloped or inactive, but potentially useful

Old English- fealga; related to Greek polos ploughed field

It will probably be easier to edit it down after it's been critiqued (and has lain fallow for three weeks) anyway.

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#475 fallible

fallible- adj.- capable of being mistaken; erring; liable to mislead

C15 from Medieval Latin fallibilis, from Latin fallere to deceive

opposite infallible

Her dreams of making it big in Hollywood contained some fallible notions.

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#474 fallacious

fallacious- adj.- containing or involving a fallacy; illogical; erroneous; tending to mislead; delusive or disappointing

from fallacy C15 from Latin fallacia, from fallax deceitful, from fallere to deceive

Does he not on the contrary feel a freedom of will within him, which, though you may call it fallacious, still actuates him as he decides.

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#473 fait accompli

fait accompli- something already done and beyond alteration

from French- literally accomplished fact; done deal

So, faced on one hand by a possible Sioux rising, and on the other by the fait accompli of the mining camps, Washington reached the conclusion you'd expect: treaty or no, the Sioux would have to give way.

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#472 facsimile

facsimile- an exact copy or reproduction; a telegraphic system in which a written, printed or pictorial document is scanned photoelectrically...

C17 from Latin facere to make + similis similar, like

Can the simulation prove to be a facsimile of every day life?

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#471 facetious

facetious- characterized by levity of attitude and love of joking; jocular or amusing especially at inappropriate times

C16 from Old French facetieux, from facetie witty saying

His facetious remarks sparked amusement but a tear from his former friend.

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#470 eyrie

eyrie- the nest of an eagle or other bird of prey, built in a high inaccessible place; the brood of a bird of prey, especially an eagle; any high isolated position or place

C16 from Medieval Latin airea, from Latin area open field, hence nest

They climbed out of the smelting town, where eyrie houses perched insecurely on a precipitous landscape.

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#469 extroversion

extroversion- the directing of one's interest outwards, especially towards social contacts

C17 from extro, variant of extra , from Latin vertere to turn

extrovert- a person concerned more with external reality than inner feelings

In the midst of an election campaign political extroversion can be tiring.

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#468 extraneous

extraneous- not essential; not pertinent or applicable; irrelevant; coming from without

C17 from Latin extraneus external, from extra outside

Do we need to have an emergency fund or is that just extraneous?

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#467 extradition

extradition- the surrender of an alleged offender or fugitive to the state in whose territory the alleged offence was committed

-C19 from French,from Latin traditio a handing over

The United States cannot always request extradition from the countries who host these terrorists, especially when the host country does not have an operating judicial system or is hostile to the U.S.

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#466 extirpate

extirpate- to remove or destroy completely; to pull up or out; uproot

- C16 from Latin exstirpare to root out, from stirps root, stock

His mission was to extirpate the black rats and other non-native species that are overrunning the islands.

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#465 extenuate

extenuate- to represent an offence, fault as being less serious than it appears as by showing mitigating circumstances; to cause to be or appear less serious; mitigate; to underestimate or make light of

C16 from Latin extenuare to make thin

The swindler tried to dilute and extenuate his schemes by implicating other factions.

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#464 extemporize

extemporize- verb- to perform, speak, or compose without planning or preparation; to use a temporary solution for an immediate need; improvise

C16 from Latin ex tempore instantaneously, from ex out of +tempus time

The mayor liked the writer because he could extemporize political speeches in a hurry.

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#463 expressionism

expressionism- an artistic and literary movement originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century which sought to express emotions rather than to represent external reality: characterized by the use of symbolism and of exaggeration and distortion

Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' is an example of expressionist painting.

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#462 expeditious

expeditious- characterized by or done with speed and efficiency; prompt; quick

expedite- C17 from Latin expedire literally: to free the feet, liberate, from ex+pes foot

The marketer had an expeditious agenda to get rich quickly.

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#461 expedient

expedient- suitable to the circumstances; appropriate; inclined towards methods or means that are advantageous rather than fair or just

C14 from Latin expediens setting free

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#460 expatriate

expatriate- resident in a foreign country; exiled or banished from one's native country; an exile

- C18 from Medieval Latin expatriare from Latin ex+patria native land

The word expatriate comes from the Latin ex (out of) and patria (fatherland) and many countries include a legal definition for the term.

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#459 exorbitant

exorbitant- in excess of what is reasonable; excessive; extravagant; immoderate

C15 from Late Latin exorbitare to deviate, from orbita- track

Reining in exorbitant executive pay packages that are draining resources is one strategy.

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#458 exonerate

exonerate- to clear or absolve from blame or a criminal charge; to relieve from an obligation or task; exempt

C16 from Latin exonerare to free from a burden, from onus a burden

I don't want to exonerate these characters from their pasts.

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#457 existentialism

existentialism- a modern philosophical movement stressing the importance of personal experience and responsibility and the demands that they make on the individual, who is seen as a free agent in a deterministic and seemingly meaningless universe

Dostoevsky once wrote: “If God did not exist, everything would be permitted”; and that, for existentialism, is the starting point.

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#456 exile

exile- a prolonged, usually enforced absence from one's home or country; banishment; expatriate

C13 from Latin exsilium banishment, from exsul ; perhaps related to Greek alasthai to wander

His parents were Russian radicals in exile from the Tsarist regime.

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