Abaco	freelance maths tutors from Venice and Florence
acrimony	Bitterness or sharpness in speech, behavior, or disposition.
Adamantium	Unpenetrable metal
Ad hominem fallacy	Attacking the person, not the argument
AI‑ization	AI permeating daily services
Ailurophile	Cat‑lover
Akrasia	Acting against one’s better judgment; weakness of will
Alea iacta est	“The die is cast”
Allegro ma non troppo	Fast, but not too fast
Alzibran	Algebra originator (Saracen)
amenable	Willing to cooperate or be persuaded; open to suggestion.
Anavastha	Endless, unsettled mental state
Aphorism	Concise statement of general truth
apocryphal	Of doubtful authenticity, though widely circulated as true.
Apophenia	Perceiving meaningful connections in unrelated things
Apoplectic	Extremely and visibly enraged, seeing red or beside themselves with anger Synonyms: Livid, furious, irate, incandescent.
Aragorn	Tolkien hero king
Arcadia	Idealized pastoral paradise
Arcuate	Bow‑shaped; curved
Arete	Being suited for what you do
Asmara	“The four that are united”
assay	To test or analyze the composition or quality of something.
Assemblage	Gathering
Ataraxia	Freedom from disturbance
Atrax	Horse
Au fond	fundamentally, basically, at heart, or in reality
Augustus	lofty or serene
automatons	Mechanical or robotic beings; figuratively, people who act without thought.
Axia	Greek: value, worth, merit
Balderdash	Nonsense; muddled mixture
Balmora	Viking legend
Banshee	Woman of the fairy mound or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening
Becoming	Attractive
Beleaguer	Exhaust with attacks
Benandonner	Scottish giant
Brabble	Verb – “To quarrel about trifles; to brawl or squabble”…
Brood	Think alone
Bucolic	Lovely rural setting
bumph	Tedious or unnecessary paperwork or documentation.
Bungalow	Small cozy cottage
Cadfael	13th‑century monk, herbalist, sleuth
Calor licitantis	Bidder’s heat
candor	Honest, open, and sincere expression; frankness.
Caperucita Roja	Little Red Riding Hood
Capricious	Unpredictable; whimsical
CAS	Current awareness systems
Cauldron	Situation of instability and strong emotions
CENTAUR	Half man, half horse
Centurio Primus pilus	“Ik heb de grootste tampeloeris van allemaal”
Ceteris paribus	All other things held constant
Chatoyant	Like a cat’s eye
Comely	Attractive
conceit	Excessive pride; also an extended metaphor in literature.
Conflagration	Destructive fire
Conflate	Blend together
Conflex	Curved, bent
contretemps	An unexpected and embarrassing minor dispute or mishap.
Copia	abundance
Corollary	A corollary is a proposition that follows directly and naturally from a previously proven statement or action. It is a direct result, consequence, or outcome—often considered an "upshot" or a natural byproduct of a situation
Corrade	Verb trans. – “To scrape together; to gather together from various sources”…
Corsair	Privateer or pirate
Coup de foudre	Sudden intense infatuation
Cui bono	“Who benefits?”
Cunt	Certified, unapologetic, narcissistic, twattish
Curmudgeon	Ill‑tempered, stubborn person
Cynosure	Focal point of admiration
Daedalus	Brilliant engineer; creator of the labyrinth
Dalliance	Brief love affair
Damnatio memoriae	Condemnation of memory
Dao	The way; the path
Dastardly	Wicked, cruel, cowardly
deadpan	Deliberately expressionless or emotionless in manner or delivery.
Deified	Honored or worshiped as a deity
Deliciate	Verb intr. – “To take one's pleasure, enjoy oneself, revel, luxuriate”…
Demesne	Dominion, territory
Demure	Shy, reserved
Denouement	Resolution of a mystery
Denouement	The final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.
Déraison	Domination of unreason
Desuetude	Disuse
Desultory	Slow, sluggish
Dès vu	Awareness that this will become a memory
Deus ex machina	Sudden improbable plot resolution
De Viribus Quantitatis	“On the powers of numbers”
Diaphanous	Filmy
Dichotomy	Division between two opposed things
Dissemble	Deceive
Diworsification	Diversification that worsens results
Doublethink	Holding two contradictory beliefs simultaneously
dross	Worthless material; waste; impurities removed from metal.
Dry‑cleaning / proverka	KGB jargon
Dulcet	Sweet, sugary
Ebullience	Bubbling enthusiasm
Effervescent	Bubbly
Efficacy	The ability to produce a desired or intended result. It measures whether something achieves its purpose, typically under ideal or strictly controlled conditions
Efflorescence	Flowering
egoïsme	bezorgdheid over het eigenbelang.
Elision	Dropping a sound
Elixir	Good potion
Eloquence	Beauty in speech
Embrocation	Rubbing on lotion
Emollient	Softener
Enchiridion	Handbook or Manual
Engywook	Midget science male
Enigmatic	Unknowable
Enshittification	Rendering something into a pile of shit
Ephemeral	Short‑lived
Ephemeral	Short‑lived
Epimetheus	Afterthought
Epiphany	Sudden revelation
Epiphenomena
epistemology [Erkenntnistheorie]	The branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge and its limits.
Erstwhile	Formerly
Esquenazi	Made‑up word
Ethereal	Gaseous, invisible
Eudaemonic	Bliss from living according to reason
Evanescent	Vanishing quickly
Evocative	Suggestive
Ex aequo	On equal footing; tied
Ex nihilo	“Out of nothing”
Factotum	Employee or assistant with many duties
Falkor	Luck dragon
fatuous	Silly, foolish, or pointless.
Faux Intellectualism	Credentialed but impractical thinkers
Felicity	Pleasantness
Fetching	Pretty
fledgling	A young bird learning to fly; an inexperienced person.
Fluctuat nec mergitur	“Fluctuates but does not sink”
Fog of war	Clausewitz
FOMO	Fear of missing out
Forbearance	Withholding response
Freck	Verb intr. – “To move swiftly or nimbly”…
Frugal	Economical; sparing
fug	A stuffy, stale, or smoky atmosphere in a room.
Fugacious	Fleeting
Furtive	Sneaky
Gambol	Skip joyfully
Gestalt	Whole greater than sum of parts
Gioconda	Mona Lisa
Glamour	Beauty
Gleichschaltung	Totalitarian coordination of society
glib	Fluent and confident but insincere or shallow.
Gmork	Creator of darkness
Gohei	Sacred paper
gopher	A burrowing North American rodent; also a person who runs errands.
Gossamer	Spider silk
Hagiography	Idealized saintly biography
Halcyon	adjective describing a calm, peaceful, prosperous, or golden time.
Halcyon	Happy, carefree
Halus	Javanese concept of refinement, smoothness, elegance, self‑control
Harbinger	Messenger of the future
Hyponomy	Linguistic sense relations
IBM	Itty Bitty Machine company
ifttt	“If this then that”
Imbrication	Overlapping pattern
Imbroglio	Complicated situation
Imbue	To instill or permeate with a feeling or quality
Incepto	Begin, start
Incipient	Beginning to happen or develop
Incorrigible	describes someone or their behavior that is incapable of being reformed, corrected, or improved. It usually applies to deeply ingrained habits, rule-breaking, or a refusal to change, and is frequently used in a playful or humorous way.
In dubio abstine	“In doubt, abstain”
Ineffable	Too great or extreme to be expressed in words
Ingénue	Innocent young woman
Ingénue	The part of an innocent, artless young woman
Inglenook	A cozy nook by a fireplace
Insouciance	Casual lack of concern; indifference
INSTANTIATIONS	Providing an instance supporting a claim
Intransigent	Unwilling to change views
Inure	To become accustomed to something unpleasant
Invitis omnibus	“Against the wishes of everyone”
IYI	Intellectuals Yet Idiots
Jargogle	Verb trans. – “To confuse, jumble” – John Locke used the word in 1692…
JFM	Just Fucking Magic
Joie de vivre	Joy of living; elegance, passion
Jolabokaflod	Icelandic “Christmas book flood”
Jollux	Slang term (18th century) for a “fat person”…
Joy Division	(Nazi link)
Judicious	Having sound judgment
Kabun	Soldiers
Kakorrhaphiophobia	Fear of failure
Kasar	Indonesian: unrefined, uncivilised
Kemosabe	“Trusty scout”; “faithful friend”
Kench	Verb intr. – “To laugh loudly”…
Kintsugi	Japanese art of golden repair
Klaatu barada nikto	“There’s no limit to what he can do”
Kodachi	Small samurai sword
Kuchulun	Persian word meaning “little one” or “cute one”; term of affection
Labyrinthine	Like a labyrinth; twisting and complex
LACONIC	Using very few words
Lagniappe	A small gift given to a customer; bonus
Lagoon	A shallow body of water separated from a larger one
Laissez‑faire	Let it be; world runs itself
La madrugada	Time between midnight and 6 a.m.
Languor	Pleasant tiredness or inertia
Lassitude	Weariness of body or mind
Lateral thinking	Solving via unusual connections
Leisure	Free time
Lemniscate	Figure‑eight curve
Libido Ergo Sum	“I lust, therefore I am”
liggers	People who attend events to freeload, especially for free food or drink.
Lilt	A cheerful or lively manner of speaking or moving
Lissome	Thin, supple, graceful
Lithe	Thin, flexible, graceful
Loki	God of mischief
Love	Deep affection
Ludibrious	Adj. – “Apt to be a subject of jest or mockery”…
magnanimously	In a generous, forgiving, or noble‑spirited manner.
MAGNET	“Get the needle out of the haystack”
Malagrugrous	Adj. – “Dismal”; Scots origin…
Manimal
Manimal	A man‑animal hybrid; often refers to the 1980s TV show Manimal.
Manimal	Made‑up word
Mellifluous	Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear
MERCURIAL	Rapid, unpredictable mood changes
Meritocracy	System rewarding talent
Miasma	Unpleasant smell
Minaalamon	Filipino: bringing chaos and order; wise person
Minotaur	Master of the labyrinth
Mjølner	Thor’s hammer
Moiety	One of two equal parts
Moki	Swedish female
Mondegreen	A misheard lyric or phrase
Monozukuri	Japanese: “to make things”
moot	Debatable or no longer relevant; in law, a hypothetical case.
More’s the pity	Unfortunately
Murmurous	Full of murmuring sounds
Myrmidons	Robot warriors
Nemesis	A long‑standing rival; an archenemy
Neophyte	Beginner
Nomophobia	Fear of being without a phone
Non sequitur	“It does not follow”
Norns	Norse female beings who rule destiny
Obaku	Zen Buddhist branch; simple living
Obdurate	Stubborn; refusing to change
obtuse	Slow to understand; lacking insight; also an angle > 90°.
Offing	The distant part of the sea visible from shore
Oneiric	Dreamlike
Onomatopoeia	A word that imitates a sound
Opulent	Rich and luxurious
Oritsuru	Origami bird
Ostinati Rigore	Rigorous persistence
Oxymoronic	Self‑contradictory
Oyabun	Boss
Paisan	Italian/Italian‑American friendly address meaning “brother” or “countryman”
Palimpsest	A manuscript with traces of earlier writing
Panacea	A universal remedy
panache	Flamboyant confidence or stylish flair.
Panoply	A complete or impressive collection
Pareidolia	Seeing patterns where none exist
Pastiche	Artistic work combining various sources
Penumbra	A partially shaded outer region
perfidy	Betrayal of trust; treachery.
Petrichor	The smell after rain
phalanx	A close‑packed group; originally a Greek military formation.
Phantasia kataleptike	Objective representation
Phronesis	Practical wisdom or prudence (Greek)
Phronesis	Practical wisdom; sound judgment
pillion	A secondary seat on a motorcycle or bicycle, behind the driver.
Pinakes	First attempt to categorize scrolls in the Library of Alexandria
pivotal	Of crucial importance; central to an outcome.
Plethora	A large or excessive amount
Polkadodge	Dance when two people sidestep the same way
Portata	the right to bring a chest of cargo to sell en route
Portend	Sign something is likely to happen
Post hoc ergo propter hoc	“After this, therefore because of this”
Praxeology	Deductive study of human action
Praxeology	The science of human action
precipice	A very steep cliff; a dangerous or critical point.
Precipice	Brink; hazardous situation
Precocious	Early development of adult abilities
Precocity	early or premature development of mental, physical, or behavioral traits
predilection	A strong preference or liking for something.
Premeditatio Malorum	Negative visualization
Pricking of one's thumbs	Intuitive foreboding
Primum non nocere	“First, do no harm”
Primus inter pares	First among equals
profligate	Recklessly wasteful or extravagant; also a person who behaves that way.
Prometheus	Forethought
Propinquity	Nearness in place or relationship
Proviso	Condition or qualification in an agreement
Pusillanimity	Cowardice
Pyrrhic	A victory won at too great a cost
Qamutik	Inuit dog sled
Quagmire	Precarious or difficult situation
Quandary	Perplexing dilemma
Qui linguam Latinam	“He who learns Latin”
Quintessential	Representing the most perfect example
Qui pauca legit, pauca scit	“He who reads little knows little”
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes	“Who watches the watchers?”
Quod in vita facimus…	“What we do in life echoes in eternity”
Quod non	“What is not”; used in proof by contradiction
Raison d’être	Reason for existence
Ratatouille	A spicy French vegetable stew
Ravel	To tangle or untangle
Redolent	Strongly reminiscent or suggestive; fragrant
Remiss	Negligent; lacking care
Res judicata	Case closed
reticence	The quality of being reserved or unwilling to speak freely.
Riparian	Relating to riverbanks
Ripple	A small wave or undulation
Ronin	Masterless samurai; autonomy and mastery
Room 101	Chamber of one’s worst fear
Ruckus	Noisy commotion
Sangfroid	Coolness under pressure
Sanguinolency	Noun – “Addiction to bloodshed”…
Sapere aude	“Dare to think for yourself”
Sapere vivere	“Know how to live”
Satisficing	melding together of satisfy and suffice
Satisficing	Stopping at a “good enough” solution
Scintilla	A tiny trace or spark
Scythe
scythe	A long‑handled tool with a curved blade for cutting grass or grain.
SDI	Selective dissemination of information
Sempiternal	Eternal; everlasting
Sempre nei miei ricordi	“Always in my memories”
Sentens	From Latin sentio: feel, understand
septics [i.e. septic tanks – Yanks]	British rhyming slang for Americans (“Yanks”), from septic tank.
Sepulchral	Tomb‑like; gloomy
Seraglio	A harem or luxurious palace
Serendipity	Finding pleasant things by accident
Shkval	Russian super‑cavitating torpedo (360 km/h)
Shōen	Private samurai estates
Simplicissimus	German satirical magazine
Sinanju	“The sun; all others are shadows”; total mastery
Sisyphean	Endless and unavailing
SIX	Perfect number; factors sum to 6
Skeuomorphism	Design retaining obsolete features
Sleipner	Thor’s six‑legged horse
SNAFU	Situation Normal: All Fucked Up
solipsism	The philosophical idea that only one’s own mind is certain to exist.
SOLIPSISTIC	View that only the self is knowable
Sophistry	Fallacious reasoning meant to deceive
Sopracomito	captain (famous Pietro)
Söze boğmak	To talk unnecessarily too much and cause confusion
Söze karışmak	To interrupt someone or to join in a conversation.
Söze ne hacet	A common idiom meaning "words are unnecessary" or "the facts speak for themselves".
Spezzatura	Nonchalance
Sprezzatura	Italian: effortless mastery; elegant ease
Stance of the warrior	Samurai readiness, composure, preparedness
Stupendous	Extremely impressive
Sturm und Drang	Proto‑Romantic movement
Subutai	Mongolian general and strategist of Genghis Khan
SUGRU	Gaelic for “play”
SUI GENERIS	Unique; of its own kind
Summery	Light, warm, reminiscent of summer
Summum Bonum	“The highest good”
Sumptuous	Splendid and expensive‑looking
supercilious	Behaving as though one is superior; arrogantly disdainful.
Surreptitious	Kept secret, especially because it would not be approved
Surtsey	Norse fire‑eating giant
Susquehanna	A river in Pennsylvania
Susurrous	Whispering, murmuring
Sycophantic	Obsequious to gain advantage
Sympatheia	Interconnectedness of all things
Synesis	Intelligence, knowledge
Talisman	An object believed to bring good luck
Tartle	Forgetting someone’s name
Tautological	Needless repetition
Tempestuous	Strong, turbulent, conflicting emotion
Term	Definition
Term	Definition
Term	Definition
Testis unus testis nullus	“One witness is no witness”
The Index	Central archive of the KGB
Tiktaalik	Transitional fish with four limbs
Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes	Beware enemies bearing gifts
Tintinnabulation	The ringing or tinkling of bells
Tongji	Chinese spirit medium
Tractatus	Latin for “treatise”; often refers to Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico‑Philosophicus.
trepidation	A feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen.
Trouvaille	Lovely thing discovered by chance
Umbrella	Protection from rain or sun
Una vida con miedo…	“A life lived in fear is a half‑lived life”
Untoward	Unexpected and inappropriate
Upright infinity	The symbol “8”
Urgl	Midget health female
Ustad	Learned one
Valiant	boldly brave, courageous, or determined, especially in difficult or dangerous situations
VARG	Werewolf (Norsk)
Vassal	Person under protection of a feudal lord
Vergangenheitsbewältigung	Coming to terms with the past
Verisimilitude	Truth‑likeness
Vestigial	Remaining as a small remnant of something larger
Vicarious	Experienced in place of another
Vita terrore acta est…	“A life lived with fear is half‑lived”
Vulcan	God of Fire; divine craftsman
Wabi‑Sabi	Japanese antidote to perfectionism
Wafture	The act of waving or a gesture
Whaiwhai	Māori: to search
Wherewithal	The means or resources to do something
Woebegone	Sorrowful, miserable in appearance
Wu wei	Effortless action; non‑forcing
XB‑70 Valkyrie	“The Ride to Valhalla”
Yokoso	“Welcome” (Japanese)
Zbrka	Confusion of too many things
Ziel, Zweck und Mittel	Origins of “goal” and “purpose”
Zoon logon echon	Rational animal; “the animal with language”, “The animal that thinks”

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category: language Confidential: false created: <2026-04-14>

dictionary
language Private: false tags: updated: 20-07-2026