Recent questions tagged vocabulary

Description : Is 'tang' a negative word?

Last Answer : Yes. To quote the great Buzz Aldrin: “Tang sucks”.

Description : Erudite fluther vocabularians, what is the “sister” equivalent of the word “brethren”?

Last Answer : Sistren.

Description : What is another way of saying will not be appeased?

Last Answer : Mollify Deter

Description : What does it mean when a teenager looks bored and says, "Random"?

Last Answer : I have a 9 year old grandaughter who will say “Wow, that was random” but 99% of the time she is using it correctly because grandpa has ADD and said…..SQUIRREL!..... sorry, anyway that is what she has to deal with.

Description : Erudite ask-public vocabularians, what is the word for the 4th level of separateness? (See details)

Last Answer : Edited because, well, wrong.

Description : Is there a rule for the pronunciation of the "H" at the beginning of a word?

Last Answer : Nope. Probably why English is the most if not one of the most difficult languages to learn.

Description : Is there a term for this?

Last Answer : answer:Keeping Up with the Jonses’ ennui angst

Description : Anybody out there have any grammar/vocabulary pet peeves?

Last Answer : answer:The enormous amount of improper usage examples on my list would likely nauseate you, so I'll simply mention the two that are topping my list at present: There's too many . . . .I ... day was myriads of different kinds. The house should be raided by the grammar and the redundancy squads.

Description : Can you define the word "limn" without looking it up?

Last Answer : answer:I’m a writer, so it’s important for me to vary my word use and to use the correct word to get my meaning across. But if I use obscure words that most people don’t know, that rather defeats the purpose of the whole process. And no, I don’t know the definition of “limn.” Shoot me :-/

Description : In honor of the eighth of April, want to play a silly word game?

Last Answer : answer:What an eccentric thing to do. I may echo others when I ask why e? I know the mind of @Jeruba effervesces with vocabulary of all sorts, for example, eggplant. It might just perhaps be an ... an elementary question. I could go on for a seeming eternity, so I'll play along on other questions.

Description : Difference between 'dander' and 'mould'?

Last Answer : Basically dander is dead and mold is alive. Dander is dead skin cells and the like from a living creature such as a cat. Mold is an organism all by itself and may be alive. If actively growing, it is.

Description : What does fictitious mean ?

Last Answer : Not real.

Description : Maxim VS proverb?

Last Answer : answer:A proverb is any kind of simple saying which expresses a commonsense or practical ‘truth’. A maxim is a proverb pertaining specifically to a principle of action – the way you should act or be, the way you should live your life. A maxim is a specific type of proverb telling you how to act.

Description : Stipulation VS condition?

Last Answer : answer:It depends on usage. One can use stipulation as a form of condition, but in technical uses one essentially stipulates a condition. To stipulate is to lay down a set of requirements, demands or limitations, ... he may live in the house, on the condition that he is married by the age of 16.

Description : Help with sentence?

Last Answer : Technically, the first, but it’s really awkward. Is there another option?

Description : What is the difference between 'divert' and 'avert'?

Last Answer : answer:divert - to take an action that causes something to change direction avert - not as active a word as divert it's the act of turning away from, or prevent a calamity The major ... something like an accident], whereas divert is more neutral [diverting the canal water into two pathways].

Description : Do you ever have questions that you can't put in to words?

Last Answer : answer:I would tell you, but, ummm, errrrr, ummmm… But seriously, if I can’t write it, I don’t think it’s worth asking. On the plus side, writing anything helps clarify the situation.

Description : Westernized is a word. So why are Southernized, Northernized, and Easternized flagged on spell check?

Last Answer : It is a method of sourcing philosophy and culture. The widest acknowledged cultural gaps are between the Eastern and Western philosophies.

Description : A word for when one neither confirms nor deny something?

Last Answer : No contest?

Description : Do you think the word "refudiate" just might find a niche in our language?

Last Answer : Oh, God, I hope not. It is clearly an ignorant mix of refute and repudiate.

Description : Do you think you can tell a lot about a person by the vocabulary they use?

Last Answer : Totally, it is a great way to tell how they care about impressions and knowledge. Like for instance, “I’m good” Or “I’m well”

Description : Can you combine the words luscious and discipline in the same sentence (a good sentence)

Last Answer : That’s easy. The luscious frosting on the cake challenged my attempts at self discipline.

Description : Funniest mispeak?

Last Answer : Ha ha! I remember a client bringing his dog in for it’s shots, and when the doctor said ‘this one is for distemper,” the guy actually said… don’t give him that one. he’s a guard dog, and I want him to be mean!! Another guy looked at his dog’s ear mites under the microscope and yelled Monsters!!

Description : What annoys you more?When people say aks instead of ask,or when people say pasific instead of specific?

Last Answer : It happens in conversation all the time!!!Do you know of any other glaring examples of mispronunciation.

Description : Adjectives for Pastries?

Last Answer : answer:I would use words to describe the beauty of the combination of flavors. Beautiful, wonderful, superb, and so on. I don’t think that pastry connoisseurs have a special language, but watching cooking competitions, the good things quite often have to do with the beauty of it all.

Description : Anyone in the medical field know what an "AR day" is?

Last Answer : account receivable

Description : How to Improve Your Vocabulary

Last Answer : How to Improve Your Vocabulary There's a right word for everything. Not everyone may appreciate being called a walking encyclopedia or a walking dictionary, but to have the right word for just ... language far more creatively and effectively than with having a limited set of words to work with.