list icon
  • rapture - ecstasy; felicity, state of sheer happiness; happiness to the point of delirium
  • rariora - pl. unusual collector’s items, outstanding items, prize pieces
  • ratatouille - a type of french dish, vegetable stew
  • realm - a region, kingdom, plane, domain, or territory
  • recherché - elegant; refined or tasteful; sophisticated
  • recidivism - act of repeating punished act; chronic tendency to repeat crimes
  • reciprocity - the quality or state of requiting; mutual dependence
  • redivivus - revived; come back to life; resurrected; resuscitated
  • redolent - piquant, aromatic, or memory-invoking
  • regalia - the emblems and symbols of royalty, such as the crown and scepter; jewelry
  • relinquish - voluntarily cease to keep or claim; surrender
  • reliquary - a receptacle, such as a coffer or shrine, for keeping or displaying sacred relics
  • renaissance - a rebirth or revival; renewal of cultural and intellectual thought
  • repartee - swift, witty reply; conversation marked by the exchange of witty retorts
  • palimpsest - erased parchment, which is then reused; manuscript written over earlier ones
  • replica - copy or reproduction of a work of art, especially one made by the original artist
  • resonance - quality of being resonant; extension of sound via sympathetic vibration
  • resplendent - sublime, full of color, or dazzling; splendid
  • revenant - specter; ghost; one who returns after a long absence
  • reverie - an idle daydream; a thought of idle desire; a surrendering to imagination
  • rhapsody - impassioned, inspired, or vibrant literature or music
  • rimulose - characterized by or having small chinks, fissures, or cracks
  • risorgimento - a time of renewal or renaissance; revival
  • roseate - rose-colored, rosy; optimistic; cheerful and bright; promising
  • roué - a rake; rouge; philanderer; lothario
  • rupestrian - of or composed of rock; sculpted with or by rock
  • sable - black; type of animal with a deep, black pelt
  • salient - prominent or conspicuous; most important
  • saline - salty; pertaining to salt
  • salubrious - health-giving; healthy; healthful; relating to good health
  • salve - remedial lotion or substance to soothe or allays
  • sangfroid - composure or coolness as shown in danger; imperturbability
  • sanguine - of a healthy reddish color; ruddy; blood-red; of the color of blood
  • sapience - rationality, compare sentience; wisdom or sagacity
  • sapphire - bright blue; valuable gemstone of a bright yet deep blue
  • sardonyx - type of stone (onyx) with sandy bands
  • satellite - celestial body that orbits a planet; a moon; object designed to orbit a planet
  • scarlet - a type of bright-red color
  • scepter - a rod or wand, usually adorned in regalia
  • schefflera - a type of shrubby, tropical plants which are cultivated for their showy foliage
  • scialytic - dispersing or dismissing shadows, typically with light, often of a lamp
  • scilicet - to wit, that is; namely
  • scintilla - an infinitesimal item or mote; tiny thing
  • scion - an heir or descendant; a twig or shoot used for grafting, of a tree, shrub, or plant
  • sclera - the whites of the eyes
  • scoliosis - abnormal lateral curvature of the spine; affliction thereof
  • scythe - agricultural implement with a long, curving blade fastened to a long handle
  • seizure - act, condition, or instance of seizing or being seized; fit; spasm, convulsion
  • selcouth - unusual; rare, unique, or strange
  • selenian - designating, relating to, pertaining to, or of the moon
  • semblance - apparent form of something, especially when the reality is different
  • semiotician - one who studies, applies, or explains the theories of semiotics
  • sempiternal - eternal, endless, lasting forever, ceaseless
  • senescence - state of being old or growing old; cellular decomposition, studies thereof
  • sentient - aware; characterized by the ability to feel or perceive; conscious
  • sequacious - pertaining to sequence or order; following
  • sequence - succession; an arrangement, either a related or continuous series
  • sequester - to relegate to a small space; to cause to withdraw into seclusion
  • seraglio - harem, harem house, brothel; living quarters thereof
  • seraphim - pl. six-winged angels
  • serenade - courtesy performance given to honor or express love for someone; to serenade
  • serendipity - occurrence and progress of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way
  • serenity - calmness, tranquility, relaxation
  • sesquipedalian - having many syllables; long-winded with words; given to or typified by the use of long words
  • sestina - poem of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy
  • seven - the seventh integer in a series, “7”
  • sforzando - direction in music, suddenly or strongly accented
  • sfumato - definition or form without hasty outline by mild gradation from light to shadow
  • shadow - a shade within clear boundaries, produced by obscuration of light
  • shallow - lacking physical depth; lacking depth of intellect, emotion, or knowledge
  • shimmer - to shine with a subdued, flickering, or wavering light
  • shiver - a tremble; to tremble, shudder, or shake
  • shrivel - to wither due to lack of moisture; to cause to contract; to cause to lose momentum
  • sibilant - hissing; making a sound that resembles hissing
  • sibyl - prophetess; fortune-teller; female prognosticator
  • sidereal - of, related, pertaining to, or determined by the stars or constellations
  • sidle - walk in a furtive or timid manner, especially obliquely or roundabout
  • sienna - yellowish-brown; a type of clay
  • sierra - ridge of a mountain or mountains
  • sigil - a seal, signet, or glyph; sign or image considered magical
  • silence - state or quality of soundlessness; lack of sound
  • silhouette - a picture as an outline, often a human profile, filled in by a solid color
  • silkscreen - stencil method of printing, in which a design is put on silk or other fine mesh
  • tristiloquy - a speech characterized by sadness or gloominess
  • silver - shimmering gray color; a type of metal
  • simplicity - state or quality of being simple; freedom of complexity or intricacy
  • simulacrum - an image or representation; false, unreal, or vague simulation or semblance
  • sinecure - an easy occupation or one which requires almost no responsibility
  • siphon - to suck through; to absorb through an appendage
  • sirocco - hot, humid south or southeast wind of southern italy
  • sisyphean - pertaining to or involving endless labor; pertaining to sisyphus
  • sittella - a small, gregarious songbird
  • sleep - state of slumber; position of rest for the physical and mental being of a living being
  • slender - long and thin; tall
  • slice - a thin section of something; to slash or remove a small section of
  • slither - to glide or slide like a reptile
  • sluice - artificial channel for conducting water, with a valve or gate to regulate the flow
  • smolder - to burn without an accompanying flame; to undergo slow and compressed combustion
  • sobriquet - nickname; moniker; adopted name
  • soigné - elegant; sophisticated; well-groomed
  • sojourn - brief visit; stopover; jaunt
  • solace - comfort or consolation in a time of sadness or distress
  • solecism - an impropriety; nonstandard grammatical construction; a violation of etiquette
  • solemn - serious; dignified; formal; stern
  • soliloquy - dramatic monologue; intense speech with exposition but not addressed
  • solipsism - philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist
  • solstice - one of two times in the year when the sun is furthest from the equator
  • sommelier - a waiter expertly trained in alcoholic beverages; wine steward
  • sonata - music, series of three solos
  • sonnet - fourteen-line poem with specific rhyme scheme
  • soothe - to allay, alleviate; to relax; pacify
  • sorcerer - practitioner of sorcery; wizard; warlock; magician
  • sotto voce - soft-voiced; emphasis on quiet speech
  • soubrette - saucy, coquettish woman in comedies
  • soufflé - a light, fluffy baked dish
  • sough - a soft, gentle sigh; a murmuring, purling, or rustling sound
  • souvenir - keepsake; memento; something of sentimental value
  • specious - superficially plausible, but actually wrong; misleading in appearance
  • spinal - pertaining to, relating to, of, or using the spine
  • spiral - helix; string in a successively concentric pattern
  • splice - to infuse, join, or interweave; unite
  • spool - cylinder with ridges that has spirals string around it
  • stasis - equilibrium causing a peaceful inactivity via equal opposing forces
  • stiletto - high-heel with sharp point; a small dagger
  • stillicide - water falling from the roof of a house or a gutter
  • sublime - noble; exalted; majestic; empyreal
  • succinct - briefly stated; laconic; terse
  • succor - to aid or assist in a time of need; assistance
  • suffuse - gradually spread through or over, typically with light, color, music, or liquid
  • suicide - the act of murdering oneself
  • surreptitious - stealthy; kept secret; hidden
  • sussurant - whispering; making a continuous, low, and indistinct sound
  • sussurous - pertaining to whispering; whispering
  • susurrus - a whisper; something which resembles a whisper
  • svelte - suave, urbane, and savvy; slender; lithe; polished; sophisticated
  • swain - a young man; suitor; ephebe
  • swath - width of a scythe-stroke; strips or radii made by something
  • swerve - to abruptly turn or deviate from an otherwise straight course
  • sweven - dream; vision; premonition
  • swoon - fainting spell; a collapse from ecstasy
  • syllable - unit of spoken language consisting of a single uninterrupted sound
  • sylph - graceful woman; fairy; air elemental
  • sylvan - relating to or characteristic of woods or forest regions; forest sprite
  • symbiosis - mutual biological synergy between two dissimilar organisms
  • symphony - extended orchestral movements
  • symposium - conference for discussion of a particular topic
  • synchronicity - theory of, study of the coincidences of two or more curiously similar events
  • synecdoche - a reference to a part as opposed to the whole, girl as “skirt” ship as “sail”
  • syzygy - alignment or unity of specific objects, notably in space terms or literary terms
  • tableaux - deliberate picture; arrangement; vivid, graphic description
  • tacenda - things to not be mentioned or things to be passed over in silence
  • taciturn - reticent; quiet, not talkative; insouciant
  • talisman - item marked with magic signs though to confer magical powers or repel evil
  • tapestry - heavy cloth woven with rich, varicolored designs or scenes, often hung on walls
  • teleology - the study of the philosophical concept of the telos
  • tellurian - terrestrial; inhabiting the earth; pertaining to the earth; earthen
  • tenuous - long and thin; slender; flimsy; without great substance; diluted
  • tercet - group of three lines of verse, often rhyming together or with another triple
  • terpsichorean - pertaining, relating to, or referring to dancing or the art thereof
  • tessellation - tile pattern sans gaps or extraneous spaces; a specific mathematical pattern
  • tête-à-tête - a private conversation between two people
  • theophany - religious epiphany or appearance of god to a person
  • thionine - artificial red or violet dyestuff, usually for microscopic stains
  • threnody - song, hymn, or poem reflecting on mourning or a tribute to the deceased
  • thylacine - the extinct tasmanian tiger
  • tilt - to cause to slope, as by raising one end; incline
  • tintinnabulation - ringing or sounding of bells; the sound of bells
  • tiramisu - a type of dessert made with cake and espresso
  • tolutiloquent - speech characterized by rapidity
  • torrential - resembling, flowing in, or forming torrents
  • tourmaline - multifarious gemstone of grossly differing colors
  • traipse - to walk; to wander without destination; gad; aimlessly or blithely walk
  • tranquility - peace, serenity, calmness, relaxation
  • transience - brevity, briefness; evanescence; shortness; the state of being temporary
  • tregetour - juggler; mummer; conjurer
  • tremulous - marked by trembling, quivering, or shaking
  • trillium - a type of flower
  • trinity - group consisting of three closely related members; a unity of three special objects
  • triste - sad; mournful; dismal; depressed
  • tryst - agreement, as between lovers, to meet at a certain time and place; a date between two people
  • turquoise - a type of blue-green color
  • ubiquitous - being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent
  • ultramarine - a type of intense bluish-purple
  • umbrage - offense; affront; the shade beneath a tree; shade; suspicion; reason for doubt
  • umbrella - apparatus used as a personal rain repellant
  • vaccinate - to inoculate with a vaccine of prepared medicine
  • vacillate - to waver between actions or decisions; to hesitate
  • vacivity - emptiness; absence; space with a lack of matter
  • vacuity - emptiness; absence; lack of matter in a space; vacuum
  • valance - an ornamental drapery hung across a top edge, as of a bed, table, or canopy
  • vale - the world; life; mortal or earthly life
  • valiant - possessing valor; brave; marked by or done with valor
  • vanilla - ordinary; conventional; flavored with vanilla; flavor extracted from vanilla bean
  • vaticinate - prophesy, prognosticate, augur, foretell
  • vaudeville - a bygone slapstick era of specific comedic style(s)
  • vavasor - superior vassal with other vassals beneath
  • velleity - flimsy wish or desire; perfunctory hope or dream
  • vellum - mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on
  • velvet - soft type of material used in clothing
  • veneer - thin surface layer; superficial layer as an enhancement to inferior material
  • venial - pardonable; easily excused or pardoned; trivial
  • ventriloquist - puppeteer utilizing vocal techniques and manipulations
  • veracity - truth; state of being true, trueness
  • veranda - open, roofed porch or portico on the outside of a building
  • verisimilitude - the appearance or semblance of truth or reality in a fictional medium
  • vernal - pertaining to spring
  • verve - energy; brio; élan; vigor; joie de vivre
  • vespertine - crepuscular; pertaining to, of, or related to the evening
  • vestibule - a small entryway between the outer door and the interior of a building
  • vestigial - of, relating to, or constituting a vestige (trace, mark, or sign left by something)
  • vesuviate - to erupt; explode; fulminate
  • vetanda - taboo or forbidden things or topics
  • vexation - the act of annoying, irritating, or vexing; quality or condition of being vexed
  • vicennial - happening every twenty years
  • viceroy - governor; representative of a sovereign
  • vicious - having the nature of vice; evil, immoral, or depraved
  • vicissitudes - changes of circumstances of fortune
  • victuals - food to be eaten; provisions; food cache; pabulum; comestibles; nutrients
  • videlicet - to wit, that is; namely
  • vigesimal - based on, pertaining to, or related to 20
  • vignette - a sketch; brief literary or visual event; description; tableau
  • villain - dramatic or fictional character who is typically at odds with the hero
  • vincible - able to be harmed; vulnerable, susceptible, or vulnerable
  • vinyl - a type of multi-use plastic resin
  • viola - a musical instrument having similar qualities and appearance to a violin
  • violet - a shade of deep purple
  • violin - a stringed instrument played with a bow
  • viridian - a type of blue-green pigment
  • virtuoso - ace; someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field, especially music
  • vis-à-vis - “face to face” opposite to; in relation to; in regard to; a meeting of two people
  • visceral - pertaining to the viscera; relating to deep emotions as opposed to the intellect
  • vista - view; prospect; perspective; spectrum of peripheral boundaries
  • visurient - hungry for visual stimuli; pertaining to the desire evoked from vision
  • vitiate - to impair, spoil, or to the reduce quality of; to make worse, worsen
  • vivacity - brio; esprit; alacrity
  • vivify - to invigorate; revive; energize; galvanize
  • vivisepulture - the act of being buried alive or burying alive
  • vociferous - loud; stentorian; vehement; angrily impassioned
  • voluminous - having great volume, fullness, size, or number; large
  • wan - pallid; of a sickly complexion
  • warble - trill; croon; purr; chirrup
  • weather - state of the atmosphere at a given time and place
  • whilom - formerly; former; erstwhile
  • whimsy - quaint or fanciful idea; a whim; capricious humor or playful disposition
  • whisper - soft speech produced without full voice; something uttered very softly
  • winceyette - cotton cloth; cloth made of cotton that has a raised surface
  • winnow - to filter out; to remove unnecessary or undesirable parts
  • wisteria - a genus of twisting, woody, and climbing vines
  • wyvern - a type of dragon, typically portrayed without legs
  • xenodochial - friendly or especially kind to strangers or foreigners
  • xenoglossy - language learned spontaneously and without prior knowledge
  • xysti - pl. covered portico of a gymnasium
  • yowl - to utter a loud long cry of grief, pain, or distress; to wail; wail
  • zenith - point on the celestial sphere that is above the observer; highest point; maximum
  • zephyr - slight burst of gentle wind; gentle breeze
  • zitella - maiden; unmarried woman, bachelorette
  • zyzzyva - a type of weevil
mar 17 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +