Category: Glossary

Querulous

Adjective

Complaining in an annoyed way

Source: Merriam-Webster

I encountered this word from our reading experts, “Brooklyn was Mine” by Jennifer Egan. This word was mention when Regan explained about Lucy’s personality towards her husband. Most of her personality toward her husband is about love. It is obvious that it is going to be about love, because he went to help out the war and they are separated since than. However, in this particular section, Regan mentioned how Lucy was showing her affection of love differently, in more of an annoying way.

Mitigate (Week 10/11~17)

To make (something) less severe, harmful, or painful

Source: Merriam-Webster

I encountered this word from our reading experts, “Brooklyn was Mine” by Jennifer Egan. This word was used when Lucy mentioned in her letter where she often get a sore feet from her job. She solved her problem where she used rubber-sole shoes to lessen the pain from her feet. This word, “Mitigate” sounds like it is used in medical terms. Because of the “Miti” close to the word, “Mini” indicating making the pain “smaller” and the rest of the word, “-gate” converts to converting into something. Which in this case it converts pain less.

poignant

poignant
adjective
evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poignant
“After that, I found Lucy’s letters poignant in a way that they hadn’t seemed before”
After learning the meaning of the word I realized how the writer was feeling at that moment more clearly.

Prodigious

adjective

  • amazing or wonderful : very impressive
  • very big

Source:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prodigious

I’ve come across this word in the reading excerpt “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport”. This word can be found in the sentence “He used to be a prodigious drinker and drug-taker, famous for late-night altercations, not always coherent public appearances and marathon hours at trendy spots like the Groucho Club”. In this case, prodigious means very big. When I read ” used to be a prodigious drinker and drug-taker”, I inferred that prodigious meant big but I was still unsure if it actually meant big.

 

Vice

noun

  • bad or immoral behavior or habits

  • a moral flaw or weakness

  • a minor bad habit

Source:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vice

I’ve come across this word in the reading excerpt “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport”. This word can be found in the sentence “Smoking is Mr.Self’s only remaining vice”. In this case, vice means a bad habit or behavior since smoking does harm to the body. At first I was confused with the phrasing of “only remaining vice”. As I continued reading the next sentence said “He used to be a prodigious drinker and drug-taker…”. I learned at that moment that Mr.Self in his present state only smokes and gave up his other vices.

genre

noun

:  a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.
:  painting that depicts scenes or events from everyday life usually realistically.
(Source – Merriam-Webster)
I learned this word when I had an appointment meeting with professor. She suggests me to use genre for explaining things relate to art. This word is not familiar to me because I used use category instead genre. And now I know the right occasion to use it.

Commit (Week 10/4~9)

Verb

To do (something that is illegal or harmful)

To decide to use (a person, money, etc.) for some particular purpose or use

To say that (someone or something) will definitely do something : to make (someone or something) obligated to do something

Source: Merriam-Webster

I knew this word already but I am posting it here, because I recently started using this word again. I cannot say “at what moment” I used this word, because it is personal. However, I used this word to describe something that I recently committed on. This word is a strong word that determines what you are doing, which I need for my life. I should keep using this word, because I makes me motivated and can understand the feeling of what I accomplished.

Infamy

Noun

1: evil reputation brought about by something grossly criminal, shocking, or brutal

2a: an extreme and publicly known criminal or evil act

b: the state of being infamous

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infamy
I came across this word from the article, “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport”. It is in the fourth paragraph and found in the sentence, “During Britain’s general selection of 1997, he set a new standard for journalistic infamy by getting himself bounced off John Major’s campaign plane for snorting heroin in the bathroom.” From learning this word, I understand that William Self set a new standard in evil reputation for journalism.

 

Perilous

adjective

full of danger

Source:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perilous

I’ve come across this word in the reading excerpt “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport”. This word can be found in the sentence “Upon arriving in New York, he walked from Kennedy Airport to the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel- a journey more perilous than he expected, because it involved a nighttime traverse of expressways with no curbs”. From learning what perilous meant, the journey for the protagonist Mr.Self  wasn’t an easy one as he came across tough roads. Also Mr.self’s journey from the airport to the hotel is in a post-apocalyptic setting.

coherent

Source: Merriam-Webster

 

Adjective

: logical and well-organized : easy to understand
: able to talk or express yourself in a clear way that can be easily understood
: working closely and well together

 

I found this word in the reading “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport”. It’s in the fourth paragraph which says: “ Smoking is Mr. Self’s only remaining vice. He used to be a prodigious drinker and drug-taker, famous for late-night altercations, not always coherent public appearances and marathon hours at trendy spots like the Groucho Club…”

 

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