- dilapidated [dih-lap-i-dey-tid]
Book:” I thought the windows of the sets of chambers into which those houses were divided, were in every stage of dilapidated blind and curtain, crippled flower-pot, cracked glass, dusty decay, and miserable makeshift.”
My Sentence: Due to neglect, the house started to crumble making it look dilapidated.
Origin: 1800–10; dilapidate + -ed2
- magnanimous [mag-nan-uh-muh s]
Book: “I hope, and it will be magnanimous in you if you'll forgive me for having knocked you about so.”
My Sentence: By giving his lunch to a homeless person, I think he did a magnanimous deed.
Origin: 1575–85; < Latin magnanimus great-souled, equivalent to magn ( us ) magn- + anim ( us ) spirit, soul, mind + -us -ous
- affliction[uh-flik-shuh n]
Book: “… but it promised to last a long time, when the page came in with the announcement of a domestic affliction”
My Sentence: The economy put such an affliction on our family that we had to move into an apartment.
Origin: 1300–50; Middle English affliccioun < Latin afflīctiōn- (stem of afflīctiō ). See afflict, -ion
- diffidence[dif-i-duh ns]
Book: “As he had shown no diffidence on the subject, I ventured on the liberty of asking him the question, when he stood before me, dusting his hands.”
My Sentence: Her expression showed no diffidence as she introduced herself.
Origin: 1350–1400; Middle English < Latin diffīdentia mistrust, want of confidence.
- loll[lol]
Book: “Heavy in figure, movement, and comprehension - in the sluggish complexion of his face, and in the large awkward tongue that seemed to loll about in his mouth as he himself lolled about in a room.”
My Sentence: My brother, being a couch potato, just lolls on the couch with potato chips in hand.
Origin: 1300–50; Middle English lollen, lullen (perhaps imitative); compare Middle Dutch lollen doze, sit over the fire
- lithe[lahyth]
Book: “Rather tall, of a lithe nimble figure, extremely pale, with large faded eyes, and a quantity of streaming hair.”
My Sentence: My cousin, who is in gymnastics, is very lithe and athletic.
Origin: before 900; Middle English lith ( e ), Old English līthe; cognate with Old Saxon līthi, German lind mild, Latin lentus slow
- lucid[loo-sid]
Book: “For was it not," said Joe, with his old air of lucid exposition, "that my only wish were to be useful to you, I should not have had the honour of breaking wittles in the company and abode of gentlemen."
My Sentence: My teacher explained the problem in a lucid manner so we would all understand.
Origin: 1575–85; < Latin lūcidus, equivalent to lūc-, stem of lūx light1 + -idus -id4
- pernicious[per-nish-uh s]
Book: “…it was a breach of contract to mix him up with such villainous company, and that it was poisonous and pernicious and infamous and shameful, and I don't know what else.”
My Sentence: His pernicious manner in the movie theatre caused him to be kicked out and banned.
Origin: 1515–25; < Latin perniciōsus ruinous, equivalent to pernici ( ēs ) ruin ( per- per- + -nici-, combining form of nex death, murder (stem nec- ) + -iēs noun suffix) + -ōsus -ous
- vermin[vur-min]
Book: “She reserved it for me to restore the desolate house, admit the sunshine into the dark rooms, set the clocks a-going and the cold hearths a-blazing, tear down the cobwebs, destroy the vermin - in short, do all the shining deeds of the young Knight of romance, and marry the Princess.”
My Sentence: The man reminded me of a vermin, as he was drooling out of his mouth like a rabid animal.
Origin: 1300–50; Middle English vermyne < Anglo-French, Middle French vermin, vermine < Vulgar Latin *verminum, *vermina, based on Latin vermin
- akimbo[uh-kim-boh]
Book: “when, passing abreast of me, he pulled up his shirt-collar, twined his side-hair, stuck an arm akimbo, and smirked extravagantly by, wriggling his elbows and body, and drawling to his attendants”
My Sentence: In the picture she posed with her arm akimbo.
Origin: 1375–1425; late Middle English in kenebowe < Old Norse *i keng boginn bent into a crook ( i in, keng accusative of kengr hook, boginn past participle of bjūga to bend)