séance
Pronunciation: 'sA-"än(t)s, -"äns, sA-'
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from seoir to sit, from Latin sedEre -- more at SIT
1 : SESSION, SITTING
2 : a spiritualist meeting to receive spirit communications

hyperventilate
Pronunciation: "hI-p&r-'ven-t&l-"At
Function: intransitive verb
: to breathe rapidly and deeply

love seat
Function: noun
: a double chair, sofa, or settee for two persons

tizzy
Pronunciation: 'ti-zE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural tizzies
Etymology: origin unknown
: a highly excited and distracted state of mind

remiss
Pronunciation: ri-'mis
Function: adjectiveEtymology: Middle English, from Latin remissus, from past participle of remittere to send back, relax
1 : negligent in the performance of work or duty : CARELESS
2 : showing neglect or inattention : LAX synonym see NEGLIGENT
- remissly adverb- re·miss·ness noun

quotidian
Pronunciation: kwO-'ti-dE-&n
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English cotidian, from Middle French, from Latin quotidianus, cotidianus, from quotidie every day, from quot (as) many as + dies day -- more at DEITY
1 : occurring every day
2 a : belonging to each day : EVERYDAY
b : COMMONPLACE, ORDINARY - quotidian noun

clairvoyant
Pronunciation: -&nt
Function: adjective
Etymology: French, from clair clear (from Latin clarus) + voyant, present participle of voir to see, from Latin vidEre -- more at WIT
1 : unusually perceptive : DISCERNING
2 : of or relating to clairvoyance
- clairvoyantly adverb

kosher
Pronunciation: 'kO-sh&r
Function: adjective
Etymology: Yiddish, from Hebrew kAshEr fit, proper
: being proper, acceptable, or satisfactory

cacophony
Pronunciation: -nE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -nies
: harsh or discordant sound : DISSONANCE 2; specifically : harshness in the sound of words or phrases

denizen
Pronunciation: 'de-n&-z&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English denizeine, from Anglo-French denzein inhabitant, inner part, inner, from Old French denz within, from Late Latin deintus, from Latin de- + intus within -- more at ENT-
1 : INHABITANT
2 : one admitted to residence in a foreign country; especially : an alien admitted to rights of citizenship
3 : one that frequents a place

merry-andrew
Pronunciation: "mer-E-'an-(")drü
Function: noun
Usage: often capitalized M&AEtymology: merry + Andrew, proper name
: a person who clowns publicly

posterior
Pronunciation: pä-'stir-E-&r, pO-
Function: noun
: the hinder parts of the body; specifically : BUTTOCKS

curio
Pronunciation: 'kyur-E-"O
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural curios
Etymology: short for curiosity
: something (as a decorative object) considered novel, rare, or bizarre : CURIOSITY; also : an unusual or bizarre person

Pollyanna
Pronunciation: "pä-lE-'a-n&
Function: noun
Etymology: Pollyanna, heroine of the novel Pollyanna (1913) by Eleanor Porter died 1920 American fiction writer
: a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything
- Pollyanna adjective
- Pollyannaish /-'a-n&-ish/ also Pollyannish /-'a-nish/ adjective

fusillade
Pronunciation: 'fyü-s&-"läd, -"lAd, "fyü-s&-', -z&
-Function: noun
Etymology: French, from fusiller to shoot, from fusil
1 a : a number of shots fired simultaneously or in rapid succession
b : something that gives the effect of a fusillade
2 : a spirited outburst especially of criticism

doppelgänger
Variant(s): or dop·pel·gang·er /'dä-p&l-"ga[ng]-&r, -"ge[ng]-, "dä-p&l-'/
Function: noun
Etymology: German Doppelgänger, from doppel- double + -gänger goer
1 : a ghostly counterpart of a living person
2 a : DOUBLE
2a b : ALTER EGO
b c : a person who has the same name as another

lachrymose
Pronunciation: -"mOs
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin lacrimosus, from lacrima
1 : given to tears or weeping : TEARFUL
2 : tending to cause tears : MOURNFUL
- lachrymose·ly adverb
- lachrymosity /"la-kr&-'mä-s&-tE/ noun

conflate
Pronunciation: k&n-'flAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): conflated; conflating
Etymology: Latin conflatus, past participle of conflare to blow together, fuse, from com- + flare to blow -- more at BLOW
1 a : to bring together : FUSE
b : CONFUSE
2 : to combine (as two readings of a text) into a composite whole

cachet
Pronunciation: ka-'shA
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from cacher
1 a : a seal used especially as a mark of official approval
b : an indication of approval carrying great prestige

anachronism
Pronunciation: &-'na-kr&-"ni-z&m
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from Middle Greek anachronismos, from anachronizesthai to be an anachronism, from Late Greek anachronizein to be late, from Greek ana- + chronos time
1 : an error in chronology; especially : a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other
2 : a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place; especially : one from a former age that is incongruous in the present
- anachronistic /&-"na-kr&-'nis-tik/ also ana·chron·ic /"a-n&-'krä-nik/ adjective
- anachronistically /&-"na-kr&-'nis-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb
- anachronous /&-'na-kr&-n&s/ adjective
- anachronously adverb

defeatism
Pronunciation: di-'fE-"ti-z&m, dE-
Function: nou
: acceptance or expectation of or resignation to defeat
- defeatist /-tist/ noun or adjective

sting
Function: noun
: an elaborate confidence game; specifically : such a game worked by undercover police in order to trap criminals

carpe diem
Pronunciation: 'kär-pe-'dE-"em, -'dI-, -&m
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, literally, pluck the day
: the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future

brouhaha
Pronunciation: 'brü-"hä-"hä, "brü-"hä-'hä, brü-'hä-"hä
Function: noun
Etymology: French
: HUBBUB, UPROAR

welterweight
Pronunciation: 'wel-t&r-"wAt
Function: noun
Etymology: welter (probably from 1welt) + weight
: a boxer in a weight division having a maximum limit of 147 pounds
-- compare LIGHTWEIGHT, MIDDLEWEIGHT

flyweight
Pronunciation: -"wAt
Function: noun
: a boxer in a weight division having a maximum limit of 112 pounds
-- compare BANTAMWEIGHT

willy-nilly
Pronunciation: "wi-lE-'ni-lE
Function: adverb or adjective
Etymology: alteration of will I nill I or will ye nill ye or will he nill he
1 : by compulsion : without choice
2 : in a haphazard or spontaneous manner

hothouse
Pronunciation: -"haus
Function: noun
1 obsolete : building in which prostitutes are available
2 : a greenhouse maintained at a high temperature especially for the culture of tropical plants
3 : an environment that favors rapid growth or development

penny-wise
Pronunciation: -"wIz
Function: adjective
Etymology: from the phrase penny-wise and pound-foolish
: wise or prudent only in dealing with small sums or matters

pound-foolish
Pronunciation: 'paun(d)-'fü-lish
Function: adjective
Etymology: from the phrase penny-wise and pound-foolish
: imprudent in dealing with large sums or large matters

taxidermy
Pronunciation: 'tak-s&-"d&r-mE
Function: noun
Etymology: tax- + derm- + 2-y
: the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals and especially vertebrates
- taxidermic /"tak-s&-'d&r-mik/ adjective
- taxidermist /'tak-s&-"d&r-mist/ noun

pulchritude
Pronunciation: 'p&l-kr&-"tüd, -"tyüd
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin pulchritudin-, pulchritudo, from pulchr-, pulcher beautiful
: physical comeliness
- pulchritudinous /"p&l-kr&-'tüd-n&s, -'tyüd-; -'tü-d&n-&s, -'tyü-/ adjective

carte blanche
Pronunciation: 'kärt-'blänsh, -'blänch
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural cartes blanches /'kärt(s)-/
Etymology: French, literally, blank document
: full discretionary power

bullish
Pronunciation: 'bu-lish also 'b&-
Function: adjective
1 : suggestive of a bull (as in brawniness)
2 a : marked by, tending to cause, or hopeful of rising prices (as in a stock market)
b : optimistic about something's or someone's prospects
- bullishly adverb
- bullishness noun

fisticuff
\Fist"i*cuff\, n. A cuff or blow with the fist or hand; (pl.) a fight with the fists; boxing

ubiquitous
Pronunciation: yü-'bi-kw&-t&s
Function: adjective
: existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : WIDESPREAD
- ubiquitously adverb
- ubiquitousness noun

spatula
Pronunciation: 'spa-ch&-l&, 'spach-l&
Function: noun
Etymology: Late Latin, spoon, spatula -- more at EPAULET
: a flat thin usually metal implement used especially for spreading or mixing soft substances, scooping, or lifting