Evacuate
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
verb [ trans. ]
1 remove (someone) from a place of danger to a safe place : several families were evacuated from their homes.
• leave or cause the occupants to leave (a place of danger) : fire alarms forced staff to evacuate the building | [ intrans. ] nearly five million had to evacuate because of air terror.
• (of troops) withdraw from (a place) : the last American troops evacuated the Canal Zone.
2 technical remove air, water, or other contents from (a container) : when it springs a leak, evacuate the pond | [as adj. ] ( evacuated) an evacuated bulb.
• empty (the bowels or another bodily organ).
• discharge (feces or other matter) from the body.
• figurative deprive (something) of contents, value, or force : he evacuated time and history of significance.
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense [clear the contents of] ): from Latin evacuat- ‘(of the bowels) emptied,’ from the verb evacuare, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out of’ + vacuus ‘empty.’
EVACUATE THE PREMISES! But not actually.
Initiative
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
noun
1 the ability to assess and initiate things independently : use your initiative, imagination, and common sense.
2 [in sing. ] the power or opportunity to act or take charge before others do : we have lost the initiative and allowed our opponents to dictate the subject.
3 an act or strategy intended to resolve a difficulty or improve a situation; a fresh approach to something : a new initiative against car crime.
• a proposal made by one nation to another in an attempt to improve relations : diplomatic initiatives to end the war | [with adj. ] a Middle East peace initiative.
4 ( the initiative) (esp. in some U.S. states and Switzerland) the right of citizens outside the legislature to originate legislation.
PHRASES
on one’s own initiative without being prompted by others.
take (or seize) the initiative be the first to take action in a particular situation : antihunting groups have seized the initiative in the dispute.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: from French, from Latin initiare, from initium ‘beginning.’
So take initiative today.
Ubiquitous
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
adjective
present, appearing, or found everywhere : his ubiquitous influence was felt by all the family | cowboy hats are ubiquitous among the male singers.
DERIVATIVES
ubiquitously adverb
ubiquitousness noun
ubiquity |-wətē| noun
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from modern Latin ubiquitas (from Latin ubique ‘everywhere,’ from ubi ‘where’ ) + -ous.
You know what’s ubiquitous? My word of the days.
Location
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
noun
a particular place or position : the property is set in a convenient location.
• an actual place or natural setting in which a film or broadcast is made, as distinct from a simulation in a studio : the movie was filmed entirely on location.
• the action or process of placing someone or something in a particular position : the location of new housing beyond the existing built-up areas.
• a position or address in computer memory.
DERIVATIVES
locational |- sh ənl; - sh nəl| adjective
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Latin locatio(n-), from the verb locare (see locate ).
What’s your location?
Fuchsia
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
noun
1 a shrub with pendulous tubular flowers that are typically of two contrasting colors. They are native to America and New Zealand and are commonly grown as ornamentals. • Genus Fuchsia, family Onagraceae: many cultivars.
2 a vivid purplish-red color like that of the sepals of a typical fuchsia flower.
adjective
like the sepals of a fuchsia flower in color; purplish red.
ORIGIN modern Latin, named in honor of Leonhard Fuchs (1501–66), German botanist.
Fuchsia, a flowery colour.
Flagellate
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
verb [ trans. ]
flog (someone), either as a religious discipline or for sexual gratification : he flagellated himself with branches.
DERIVATIVES
flagellation |ˌflajəˈlā sh ən| noun
flagellator |-ˌlātər| noun
flagellatory |fləˈjeləˌtôrē| adjective
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin flagellat- ‘whipped,’ from flagellare.
flagellate 2 |ˈflajələt; -ˌlāt| Zoology
noun
a protozoan that has one or more flagella used for swimming. • Several phyla in the kingdom Protista (formerly subphylum Mastigophora, phylum Protozoa), including forms such as euglena that are sometimes regarded as algae.
adjective
(of a cell or single-celled organism) bearing one or more flagella : motile flagellate cells.
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from flagellum + -ate 2.
Skepticism
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
noun
1 a person inclined to question or doubt all accepted opinions.
• a person who doubts the truth of Christianity and other religions; an atheist or agnostic.
2 Philosophy an ancient or modern philosopher who denies the possibility of knowledge, or even rational belief, in some sphere.
The leading ancient skeptic was Pyrrho, whose followers at the Academy vigorously opposed Stoicism. Modern skeptics have held diverse views: the most extreme have doubted whether any knowledge at all of the external world is possible (see solipsism ), while others have questioned the existence of objects beyond our experience of them.
adjective
another term for skeptical .
DERIVATIVES
skepticism |ˈskeptəˌsizəm| ( Brit. scepticism) noun
ORIGIN late 16th cent. (sense 2) : from French sceptique, or via Latin from Greek skeptikos, from skepsis ‘inquiry, doubt.’
I’m skeptical of York University’s security policies.
Slime
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
noun
a moist, soft, and slippery substance, typically regarded as repulsive : the cold stone was wet with slime.
• informal a slimeball.
verb [ trans. ]
cover with slime : what grass remained was slimed over with pale brown mud.
ORIGIN Old English slīm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch slijm and German Schleim ‘mucus, slime,’ Latin limus ‘mud,’ and Greek limnē ‘marsh.’
You know what’s slimy? Frogs.
Obnoxious
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
adjective
extremely unpleasant.
DERIVATIVES
obnoxiously adverb
obnoxiousness noun
ORIGIN late 16th cent. (in the sense [vulnerable [to harm]] ): from Latin obnoxiosus, from obnoxius ‘exposed to harm,’ from ob- ‘toward’ + noxa ‘harm.’ The current sense, influenced by noxious , dates from the late 17th cent.
“Studying is obnoxious”
-Amalea Ruffett
Vicarious
Mac Dictionary’s definition:
adjective
experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person : I could glean vicarious pleasure from the struggles of my imaginary film friends.
• acting or done for another : a vicarious atonement.
• Physiology of or pertaining to the performance by one organ of the functions normally discharged by another.
DERIVATIVES
vicariously adverb
vicariousness noun
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin vicarius ‘substitute’ (see vicar ) + -ous.
I know the vicarious feelings of my novel characters.
