• ar·a·besque /ˌarəˈbesk/ n.
  • A ballet position in which the dancer bends forward while standing on one straight leg with the arm extended forward and the other arm and leg extended backward.
  • A complex, ornate design of intertwined floral, foliate, and geometric figures.
  • Music An ornate, whimsical composition especially for piano.
  • An intricate or elaborate pattern or design:

[French, from Italian arabesco, in Arabian fashion, from Arabo, an Arab, from Latin Arabus, from Arabs; see Arab.]

• au re·voir /ˌō rəvˈwär/ interj.
  • Used to express farewell.

[French : au, till the + revoir, seeing again.]

• au·ro·ra /əˈrôrə/  /ôˈrôrə/ n.
  • A luminous atmospheric phenomenon appearing as streamers or bands of light sometimes visible in the night sky in northern or southern regions of the earth. It is thought to be caused by charged particles from the sun entering the earth's magnetic field and stimulating molecules in the atmosphere.
  • The dawn.

[Middle English, dawn, from Latin aurra; see aus- in Indo-European roots.]

• ce·les·tial /səˈlesCHəl/ adj.
  • Of or relating to the sky or the heavens: Planets are celestial bodies.
  • Of or relating to heaven; divine: celestial beings.
  • Supremely good; sublime: celestial happiness.
  • Celestial Of or relating to the Chinese people or to the former Chinese Empire.
    • n.
  • A heavenly being; a god or angel.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin celestilis, from Latin caelestis, from caelum, sky.]

• dar·ling /ˈdärliNG/ n.
  • A dearly beloved person.
  • One that is greatly liked or preferred; a favorite.
    • adj.
  • Dearly beloved.
  • Regarded with special favor; favorite.
  • Informal Charming or amusing.

[Middle English dereling, from Old English dorling : dore, dear + -ling, diminutive suff.]

• dusk /dəsk/ n.
  • The darker stage of twilight, especially in the evening.
    • adj.
  • Poetic gloom; shade

[From Middle English, dark, alteration of Old English dox.]

• ee·rie /ˈi(ə)rē/ adj.
  • Inspiring inexplicable fear, dread, or uneasiness; strange and frightening.
  • Suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious.
  • Scots Frightened or intimidated by superstition.

[Middle English eri, fearful, from Old English earg, cowardly.]

• fair·y /ˈfe(ə)rē/ n.
  • an imaginary supernatural being, usually represented in diminutive human form and characterized as clever, playful, and having magical powers
  • away with the fairies Informal out of touch with reality
    • adj.
  • of or relating to a fairy or fairies
  • resembling a fairy or fairies, esp in being enchanted or delicate

[Middle English fairie, fairyland, enchanted being, from Old French faerie, from fae, fairy, from Vulgar Latin Fta, goddess of fate, from Latin ftum, fate; see fate.]

• fan·cy /ˈfansē/ n.
  • The mental faculty through which whims, visions, and fantasies are summoned up; imagination, especially of a whimsical or fantastic nature.
  • An image or a fantastic invention created by the mind.
  • A capricious notion; a whim.
  • A capricious liking or inclination.
  • Critical sensibility; taste.
  • Amorous or romantic attachment; love.
    • tr.v. fan·cied, fan·cy·ing, fan·cies
  • To visualize; imagine.
  • To take a fancy to; like.
  • To suppose; guess.

[From Middle English fantsy, imagination, fantasy, from fantasie; see fantasy.]

• fas·tid·i·ous /fasˈtidēəs/ adj.
  • Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail.
  • Difficult to please; exacting.
  • Excessively scrupulous or sensitive, especially in matters of taste or propriety.
  • Microbiology Having complicated nutritional requirements.

[Middle English, squeamish, particular, haughty, from Old French fastidieux, from Latin fastdisus, from fastdium, squeamishness, haughtiness, probably from fastus, disdain.]

• fleur-de-lis /ˌflər dlˈē/  /ˌflo͝or-/ n.
  • An iris, especially a white-flowered form of Iris germanica.
  • Heraldry A device consisting of a stylized three-petaled iris flower, used as the armorial emblem of the kings of France.

[Middle English flour de lice, from Old French flor de lis : flor, flower + de, of + lis, lily.]

• ha·zy /ˈhāzē/ adj.
  • Marked by the presence of haze; misty: hazy sunshine.
  • Unclear, confused, or uncertain: I have only a hazy notion of what she wants. I'm a bit hazy on the new budget.

[Origin unknown.]

• haunt·ed /ˈhôntid/  /ˈhän-/ v.
  • To inhabit, visit, or appear to in the form of a ghost or other supernatural being.
  • To visit often; frequent: haunted the movie theaters.
  • To come to the mind of continually; obsess: a riddle that haunted me all morning.
  • To be continually present in; pervade: the melancholy that haunts the composer's music.
  • To recur or visit often, especially as a ghost.

[Middle English haunten, to frequent, from Old French hanter; see tkei- in Indo-European roots.]

• hon·ey /ˈhənē/ n.
  • A sweet yellowish or brownish viscid fluid produced by various bees from the nectar of flowers and used as food.
  • A sweet substance, such as nectar.
  • Sweetness; pleasantness.
  • Sugary or ingratiating words; flattery.
  • Sweetheart; dear. Used as a term of endearment.
  • Something remarkably fine: a honey of a car.
    • tr.v.
  • To sweeten with or as if with honey.
  • To cajole with sweet talk.

[Middle English honi, from Old English hunig.]

• il·lu·mi·nate /iˈlo͞oməˌnāt/ v.
  • To provide or brighten with light.
  • To decorate or hang with lights.
  • To make understandable; clarify.
  • To enlighten intellectually or spiritually; enable to understand.
  • To endow with fame or splendor; celebrate.
  • To adorn (a page of a book, for example) with ornamental designs, miniatures, or lettering in brilliant colors or precious metals.
  • To expose to or reveal by radiation.
  • To become lighted; glow.
  • To be exposed to or revealed by radiation.
    • n.
  • One who has or professes to have an unusual degree of enlightenment.

[Middle English illuminaten, from Latin illminre, illmint- : in-, in; see in-2 + lminre, to light up (from lmen, lmin-, light; see leuk- in Indo-European roots).]

• la·crosse /ləˈkrôs/  /-ˈkräs/ n.
  • A game played on a rectangular field by two teams of ten players each, in which participants use a long-handled stick that has a webbed pouch on one end to maneuver a ball into the opposing team's goal.

[Canadian French la crosse, from French (jeu de) la crosse, (game of) the hooked stick, from Old French croce, crosse, crosier, of Germanic origin.]

• love·ly /ˈləvlē/ adj.
  • Full of love; loving.
  • Inspiring love or affection.
  • Having beauty that appeals to the emotions as well as to the eye.
  • Enjoyable; delightful.
    • n.
  • A beautiful person, especially a woman.
  • A lovely object.
• lu·nar /ˈlo͞onər/ adj.
  • Of, involving, caused by, or affecting the moon.
  • Measured by the revolution of the moon.
  • Of or relating to silver.

[Middle English, crescent-shaped, from Old French lunaire, from Latin lnris, of the moon, from lna, moon; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.]

• neu·rot·ic /n(y)o͝oˈrätik/ adj.
  • Of, relating to, or affected with a neurosis. No longer in scientific use.
  • Overanxious: neurotic about punctuality.
    • n.
  • A person suffering from a neurosis. No longer in scientific use.
  • A person prone to excessive anxiety and emotional upset.
• nos·tal·gia /näˈstaljə/  /nə-/ n.
  • A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.
  • The condition of being homesick; homesickness.

[Greek nostos, a return home; see nes-1 in Indo-European roots + -algia.]

• nymph /nimf/ n.
  • Greek & Roman Mythology Any of numerous minor deities represented as beautiful maidens inhabiting and sometimes personifying features of nature such as trees, waters, and mountains.
  • A girl, especially a beautiful one.
  • The larval form of certain insects, such as silverfish and grasshoppers, usually resembling the adult form but smaller and lacking fully developed wings. Also called nympha.

[Middle English nimphe, from Old French, from Latin nympha, from Greek numph.]

• peach·y /ˈpēCHē/ adj.
  • Resembling a peach, especially in color or texture.
  • Informal Splendid; fine.
• per·i·gee /ˈperəˌjē/ n.
  • The point nearest the earth's center in the orbit of the moon or a satellite.
  • The point in any orbit nearest to the body being orbited.

[French périgée, from Medieval Latin perigum, from Late Greek perigeion : Greek peri-, peri- + Greek g, earth.]

• pi·o·neer /ˌpīəˈnir/ n.
  • One who ventures into unknown or unclaimed territory to settle.
  • One who opens up new areas of thought, research, or development: a pioneer in aviation.
  • A soldier who performs construction and demolition work in the field to facilitate troop movements.
  • (Ecology) An animal or plant species that establishes itself in a previously barren environment.
    • adj.
  • Of, relating to, or characteristic of early settlers: the pioneer spirit.
  • Leading the way; trailblazing: a pioneer treatment for cancer.

[French pionnier, from Old French peonier, foot soldier, from peon, from Medieval Latin ped, pedn-, from Late Latin, one who has broad feet, from Latin ps, ped-, foot; see ped- in Indo-European roots.]

• pir·ou·ette /ˌpiro͝oˈet/ n.
  • A full turn of the body on the point of the toe or the ball of the foot in ballet.
    • intr.v.
  • To execute a pirouette.

[French, from Old French pirouet, spinning top.]

• sa·tyr /ˈsatər/  /ˈsātər/ n.
  • often Satyr Greek Mythology A woodland creature depicted as having the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained revelry.
  • A licentious man; a lecher.
  • A man who is affected by satyriasis.
  • Any of various butterflies of the family Satyridae, having brown wings marked with eyelike spots.

[Middle English satire, from Old French, from Latin satyrus, from Greek saturos.]

• shush /SHo͝oSH/  /SHəSH/ interj.
  • Used to express a demand for silence.
• sweet·heart /ˈswētˌhärt/ n.
  • One who is loved.
  • Used as a familiar term of endearment.
  • A person regarded as generous or lovable.
  • Something cherished for its excellent qualities.
• ta /tä/ interj. Chiefly British
  • Used to express thanks.

[Baby-talk alteration of thank you.]

• trans·lu·cent /transˈlo͞osnt/  /tranz-/ adj.
  • Transmitting light but causing sufficient diffusion to prevent perception of distinct images.
  • Clear; lucid.

[Latin trnslcns, trnslcent-, present participle of trnslcre, to shine through : trns-, trans- + lcre, to shine; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.]

• wild /wīld/ adj.
  • Occurring, growing, or living in a natural state; not domesticated, cultivated, or tamed: wild geese; edible wild plants.
  • Not inhabited or farmed: remote, wild country.
  • Uncivilized or barbarous; savage.
  • Lacking supervision or restraint: wild children living in the street.
  • Disorderly; unruly: a wild scene in the school cafeteria.
  • Characterized by a lack of moral restraint; dissolute or licentious: recalled his wild youth with remorse.
  • Lacking regular order or arrangement; disarranged: wild locks of long hair.
  • Full of, marked by, or suggestive of strong, uncontrolled emotion: wild with jealousy; a wild look in his eye; a wild rage.
  • Extravagant; fantastic: a wild idea.
  • Furiously disturbed or turbulent; stormy: wild weather.
  • Risky; imprudent: wild financial schemes.
  • Impatiently eager: wild to get away for the weekend.
  • Highly enthusiastic: just wild about the new music.
  • Based on little or no evidence or probability; unfounded: wild accusations; a wild guess.
  • Deviating greatly from an intended course; erratic: a wild bullet.
    • adv.
  • In a wild manner: growing wild; roaming wild.
    • n.
  • A natural or undomesticated state: returned the zoo animals to the wild; plants that grow abundantly in the wild.
  • An uninhabited or uncultivated region. Often used in the plural: the wilds of the northern steppes.

[Middle English wilde, from Old English.]

• wow /wou/ interj.
  • Used to express wonder, amazement, or great pleasure.
    • n.
  • An outstanding success.
    • tr.v. wowed, wow·ing, wows
  • To have a strong, usually pleasurable effect on.