A personal lexicon of unusual, archaic, scientific, and otherwise interesting words encountered in reading. Browse other letters from the Dictionary catalog.
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| macadam | pavement made of layers of compacted broken stone, usually bound with tar or asphalt |
| madrigal | unaccompanied polyphonic part song using secular text and intended for 4 to 6 voices |
| maieutic/maieutical | adj. of or relating to the aspect of the Ser, gauzy fabric; something delicate, light or flimsy; a fine film of cobwebs. adj., sheer, light, delicate, or tenuous |
| maître d’ | (master of) head |
| malapropism | ludicrous misuse of a word; esp. by confusion with word of similar sound |
| malfeasance | misconduct or wrongdoing esp. by a public official. |
| mamba | venomous arboreal African snake. |
| Manachaeism | a dualistic philosophy dividing the world between good and evil principles or regarding matter as intrinsically evil and mind as intrinsically good |
| mandrill | baboon |
| manqué | unfulfilled or frustrated in realization of ambitions or capabilities. |
| manta | ray with large flattened body, winglike pectoral fins, a whiplike tail and two hornlike fins that project forward from head (sea devil, devilfish). |
| markka | currency of Finland |
| Marmoset | small American monkey |
| mast | vertical spar |
| matin | of or relating to matins or to the early part of day |
| matinee | daytime entertainment |
| maudlin | effusively or tearfully sentimental |
| maunder | v. to talk incoherently or aimlessly; to move or act aimlessly or vaguely; wonder |
| maverick | n. one that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter; adj. Being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence. |
| mawkish | excessively and objectionably sentimental; sickening or insipid |
| meed | a fitting return. |
| megalith | a very large stone used in various prehistoric architecture or monumental styles, notably in western Europe during the second millennium B.C. |
| melange | a mixture |
| meliorism | the belief that society has an innate tendency toward improvement and that this tendency may be furthered through conscious human effort. |
| mellifluous | flowing with sweetness or honey. Smooth and sweet. |
| ménage à trois | a relationship wherein three people, such as a married couple and a lover, live together |
| mendacious | lying, untruthful; false, untrue. |
| mendacity | untruthfulness. |
| Mendelssohn | 1809-1847. German conductor, pianist and composer |
| Mephistopheles | the devil in the Faust legend to whom Faust sold his soul |
| mephitic | adj. poisonous or foul-smelling. |
| mephitis | an offensive smell; a stench; a poisonous or foul-smelling gas emitted from the earth. |
| mercator projection | a cylindrical map projection in which the meridians and parallels of latitude appear as lines crossing at right angles and in which areas appear greater further from the equator |
| mercurial | having the characteristics of eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness and thievishness attributed to the god Mercury. Quick and changeable in temperament; volatile |
| meridional | southern |
| meta- | later in time or development; behind; change or transformation; alternation; beyond, transcend; more comprehensive; having undergone metamorphosis |
| metamorphic | (geology) changed in structure or composition as a result of metamorphism (rock). |
| metamorphism | the process by which rocks are altered in composition, texture or internal structure by extreme heat, pressure and the introduction of new chemical substances. |
| metaphysics | part of philosophy concerned with the study of the ultimate causes and the nature of things; study of or speculation on the fundamentals of existence or reality. |
| metazoan | multicellular organism which is in subdivision of animal kingdom. |
| metempsychosis | reincarnation |
| métier | n. an occupation, a trade, or a profession; work or activity for which a person is particularly suited; one’s specialty |
| mezzanine | lowest balcony in a theatre or front row of such a balcony; partial story between two main stories of a building |
| miasma | a noxious atmosphere or influence; a poisonous atmosphere; a thick, vaporous atmosphere or emanation |
| midge | gnatlike flies frequently occurring in swarms near ponds and lakes; a little person |
| milliner | one that makes, trims, designs or sells hats. |
| millinery | articles, esp. women’s hats, sold by a milliner. |
| Minotaur | (Greek mythology) monster who was half man and half bull |
| minuet | a slow, stately pattern dance in 3/4 time for groups of couples. |
| mirabile dictu | wonderful to relate |
| misanthrope | one who hates mankind. |
| miscreant | an evildoer; a villain. An infidel; a heretic |
| misogynist | n. one who hates women; adj. |
| mite | small arachnid that are often parasitic on animals and plants, infest stored food products and in some species transmit disease |
| mitigate | tr.v. to moderate (a quality or condition) in force or intensity; alleviate; intr.v. to become milder |
| moderator | in a nuclear reactor, a substance used to slow the neutrons released by fission. |
| modus operandi | a method of operating or functioning; a person’s manner of working |
| molly coddle | to be over protective or indulgent toward; a person, esp. a boy who is pampered and over protected |
| mordant | bitingly sarcastic; incisive and trenchant; bitingly painful |
| morganatic | (of marriage) between man of high rank and woman of lower rank, who remains in her former station, their issue having no claim to succeed to possessions or title of father. |
| morning glory | turning vine having funnel-shaped, variously colored flowers that close late in the day. |
| morose | adj. Sullenly melancholy; gloomy |
| morpheme | a meaningful linguistic unit consisting of a word or word element that cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts. |
| mosey | walk in leisurely or aimless manner. |
| motet | polyphonic composition of sacred text usually sung without accompaniment |
| mountebank | a hawker of quack medicines who attracts customers with stories, jokes or tricks; a flamboyant |
| mousse | chocolate pastry |
| muggy | warm and extremely humid |
| mulish | stubborn or recalcitrant; obstinate |
| munificent | generous |
| mush | n. a thick porridge or pudding of cornmeal; something thick, soft, and pulpy; mawkish sentimentality, affection or amorousness; tr.v. mash or crush |
| muss | tr.v. to make messy or untidy; rumple; n. a state of disorder; a mess |
| muster | critical examination. |
| mutable | capable of or subject to change or alteration. Prone to frequent change; inconstant. Tending to undergo genetic mutation |
| muzjik/moujik | a peasant in czarist Russia |
| myrmidon | a faithful follower who carries out orders without question |
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