| Term | Definition |
|---|
| culinary | adj. describes anything relating to cooking or the kitchen |
| gourmet | adj. or noun.- means expert or 'connoisseur' of fine food and drink. Old FRENCH |
| epicurean | someone with this very discriminating tastes in food and wine, perhaps even a bit too devoted to or overly refined |
| gluttony | one of the seven deadly sins. means excessively eating or drinking - also descibes a person that overdoes anything |
| voracious | LATIN means 'to swallow or devour' - adj. means ravenous or excessively hungry. can also mean figuratively to connote excessively greedy or insatiably hungry for things other than food |
| savory | adj. word means appetizing to taste or smell. generally means a salty or piquant flavor, not a sweet one. noun means a piquant or salty appetizer, such as olives |
| omnivorous | adj. means eating both animal and vegetable foods, but has come to be used to mean taking or devouring anything available |
| gastronomy | noun has two equally common meanings- refers to the art or science of good eating. - also means any particular, regional style of cooking - adj. form is "gastronomical" |
| palatable | adj. means acceptable to taste or sufficiently flavorable to be eaten - pleasing to the palate. "Potable" means fit to be drunk |
| succulent | LATIN for juice- adj. means juicy, either literally or figuratively. |
| propitious | adj. means "presenting favorable circumstances or a positive outcome" |
| auspicious | adj. means "marked by success or producing favorable circumstances" The two words are just about interchangeable (this and propitious) |
| boon | from MIDDLE ENGLISH word "bon" which means prayer.. it has lost all religious connotations and now means a "timely benefit" or "stroke of good luck" |
| adverse | adj. LATIN for "turn towards" actually means "turned against" or "opposing". Circumstances that are adverse are unfavorable or opposing one's interests or well-being. A good synonym would be "antagonistic". An "adversary" on the other hand, is the noun form for an "opponent" or "enemy" |
| detrimental | adj. comes from LATIN word that means "to wear down" or "rub" and means "causing damage, harm, or loss" The noun form is "detriment" |
| travesty | noun originally meant "an exaggerated imitation of something, usually of a literary work." It has to mean any "grotesque parody" of something or a disastrous mockery. It comes from FRENCH for "disguise" or "parody" |
| debacle | noun is slightly different from "travesty" although the consequences are the same. There is no element of mockery here; it means "a sudden, disastrous downfall" or "defeat" |
| fiasco | noun comes from ITALIAN "fare fiasco" - used by the French for linguistic errors committed by Italian actors on the 18th century . it means "a complete failure" |
| rout | originally spelled "root" - once meant to dig or force as when a pig "roots" for truffles in the forest. now means "overwhelming defeat" or a "disorderly retreat after battle" |
| enormity | used to mean only a "monstrous evil or outrage" now it means "large size" . excessive evil is still the preferred definition |
| recalcitrant | LATIN calcitrare which means "to kick". Someone who is this is "stubbornly resistant to authority" |
| obdurate | LATIN "to harden" and it therefore connotes hardened against feeling or hardhearted |
| fractious | someone who is this is considered unruly or a trouble maker, the adj. means "peevish" or "cranky". Doesn't quite mean stubborn but the word does suggest an unwillingness to respect authority. |
| refractory | like fractious, this means "stubbornly resistant to authority" |
| intractable | someone who is this is "difficult to manage or govern" most often applies to children or adults that act like children |
| obstreperous | LATIN to make a noise against-- adj. "aggressively and noisily defiant" |
| intransigent | LATIN not to come to an agreement- "stubbornly uncompromising" |
| incorrigible | Someone who is this is unable to be reformed or corrected. Its use is usually reserved for unruly children or adults with uncontrollable vices |
| dogged | adj. alludes to the personality of certain breeds of dog and means "stubbornly persevering" often against all odds |
| dogmatic | GREEK means opinion -- now means someone who stubbornly asserts an opinion that is unproved or unprovable. |
| decorum | noun for behavior appropriate to a prevailing social code LATIN for appropriateness- it suggests a pleasing set of manners and awareness of what is considered proper within any one social group |
| finesse | noun from FRANCE denotes refinements and subtlety in a given situation. it suggests situation less superficial than those dealt with by decorum |
| seemly | adj. describes behavior that is appropriate, fitting the accepted rules of conduct |
| protocol | noun in a social sense names the codes of expected behavior in any given situation. -- GREEK for glue |
| gaffe | a blunder, and awkward social moment-- one who makes this does not behave in a seemly fashion, does not possess finesse |
| propriety | like decorum, this noun concerns itself with the observation of existing social norms |
| boor | noun denotes a person with no social sense, one with rude or non-existent manners |
| churl | noun is a first cousin in sense to the unmannerly boor - ANGLO SAXON- moves toward a bad disposition or surliness |
| nuance | noun refers to a subtle or slight variation and to sensitivity to those variations. An awareness of this is important on the social scene as well as in areas of greater import. |
| savor faire | FRENCH to know what to do |
| resolute | LATIN relaxed- adj. means "bold and determined, unwavering in purpose." |
| undaunted | adj. means not discouraged or disheartened. |
| intrepid | adj. synonym for resolute- "fearlessly brave" |
| audacity | LATIN to dare- "fearlessly, often recklessly daring" |
| restive | adj. FRENCH to remain "to resist control or be impatient under restriction. It suggests a bold resistance to control |
| fortitude | LATIN for strong- "strength of mind to endure pain or difficulty with courage." |
| brazen | OLD ENGLISH meaning "made of brass" adj. means able to undergo adversity with bold self-assurance |
| temerity | LATIN rash- noun is at one of extreme boldness - foolish disregard for danger |
| iconoclastic | word describes a person who seeks to overthrow popular ideas or institutions, which takes a certain amount of temerity - GREEK smasher of religious images |
| cheeky | adj. impudently bold - describes the flouting of social conventions and sometimes a positive spin-- OLD ENGLISH |
| jejune | adj. means dull, bland, or uninteresting and is usually used to describe speech or writing LATIN -- can also mean childish or immature |
| niggardly | SCANDINAVIAN means frugal or tightfisted in giving or spending |
| forte | FRENCH for strong- "something at which a person excels" |
| hoary | someone who is not full of hair- unless it is gray hair. - adj. means gray |
| gadfly | confused with the word "gadabout" -- a person who acts as a provocative stimulus or catalyst to action, a goad |
| piebald | adj. MIDDLE ENGLISH -- spotted or patchy, especially in black and white |
| toothsome | adj. means delicious or luscious |
| caryatid | structural column sculpted in the form of a draped female figure -- GREEk |
| adventitious | adj. not inherent or coming from an external source - synonym is accidental |
| pulchritude | noun that sounds ugly but means great beauty. |
| sedulous | adj. describes hard work, consistently applied to the task at hand |
| herculean | adj. something really difficult or really powerful |
| stamina | noun refers to endurance, the strength to keep going |
| meticulous | adj. emphasizes painstaking care with details - LATIN for fear |
| punctilious | adj. suggests attention to every minute detail or point - can be positive or negative |
| fastidious | adj. most extreme- overly meticulous |
| assiduous | adj. suggests diligence, persistence. LATIN to sit |
| tenacious | this person holds on, whether it be to an object, a goal, or a point of view LATIN |
| alacrity | noun refers to speedy or cheerful willingness to do something. LATIN |
| frenetic | if your eager approach to work becomes too eager - GREEk |
| dotage | means the deterioration of mental faculties that comes with aging. it can be used interchangeably with "senility" |
| venerable | adj. means "commanding respect because of old age or dignity" |
Combine with other sets
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