Chapter 6

Aegis: protection, sponsorship

• Since the adult Zeus covered his shield with this goat’s skin (aigis is Greek for “goatskin”), which made the shield invulnerable, Zeus’ shield was known as the aegis.

• Synonyms: guardianship, support, patronage, auspices

• Our ambassadors are under the aegis of the United States government.

Auspicious: favorable, promising a good outcome

• The word “auspicious” devies from the Latin avis (“ bird”) and specio (“see”). The Romans dissected birds, for they thought the birds’ internal organs predicted events.

• Synonyms: promising, encouraging, propitious• Related word: opportune

• A student who gets all “A’s” in his/her first semester has an auspicious beginning in college.

Jaded: wearied, dulled, or bored by having too much

• The word “jaded” derives from tired, worn-out horses. Norse jalda meant “mare.”

• Syn: Worn-out, overindulged, satiated

• Americans are so jaded with sweets, spices, and refined foods, that they have no appetite for a wholesome diet.

• Children jaded with an overabundance of toys cannot appreciate any gift.

Atone: make up (for a wrong)

• Originally, “atonement” meant “at-one-ment” with God, in other words reconciled for in peaceful harmony with God.

• Syn: make amends, make reparations, expiate

• On Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, Jews fast and pray that God will forgive their sins.

Lewd: obscene, indecent, lustful

• “Lewd” comes from Old English laewede, meaning “lay” or “not of the church.”

• Syn: vulgar, smutty, lascivious

• Lewd songs have indecent sexual overtones.

Succinct: Briefly and clearly expressed

• The ancient Romans wore a loose garment, somewhat like a long shirt called a tunic. When the Romans wanted to shorten their tunics so as to move more freely, they would tuck up the tunic under the cinctura.

• Syn: brief, concise, terse• Related: laconic

• Teachers of freshman composition continually tell their students to cut out wordiness and be succinct.

Prevaricate: stray from the truth: mislead

• “Prevaricate” derives from Latin varicus (“straddling”) which came from varus (“bent”), a term applied to a knock-kneed or crooked-legged person who did not walk straight.

• Syn: lie, misinform, equivocate

• Government officials prevaricated during the Senate hearing in order to cover up their illegal actions.

Aloof: reserved, detached, unconcerned

• “Aloof” comes from a (“towards”) and the Dutch word loef (“to windward”). “Aloof” thus derives from a nautical term meaning to head the ship into the wind so as to keep distance from the shore.

• Syn: removed, unresponsive, indifferent

• Some people may appear cold and aloof although in reality they are merely shy.

Jovial: full of hearty humor and fun; jolly

• Jove (Jupiter), on the other hand, went on to joyfully lord the heavens.

• Syn: merry, cheerful, jocular

• No one would hire a frowning, saturnine man to play the part of jovial, jolly Santa Claus.

Saturnine: gloomy, grave

• Foremost among these Titans was Cronus, whose Roman name is Saturn.

• Syn: moody, sulky, morose

• My boss never smiles; he is the gloomiest, most saturnine man I know.

Eulogy: speech or writing in praise of someone or something, especially of

one who has died

Euphemism: pleasant, mild, or inoffensive expression substituted

from an unpleasant or offensive one

Eugenics: science of improving a breed or species through selection of parents

Euphoria: feeling of complete well-being , great happiness

Euthanasia: mercy killing, painlessly putting to death someone suffering

from a prolonged and incurable condition