word antonyms – Page 5

Word of the Week (WOW) – Kapok

Published on April 12, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom23 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

To participate, simply do a post with your word and leave the link as a comment on Heena’s WOW post for this week (above link). It’s a nice post to do and will give you some practice with a dictionary, of which there are several online. Illustrations are by no means necessary, but it’s up to you.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Kapok

Pronunciation: ka·pok [key-pok; keɪpɒk]

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning:

1. The silky down inside the seed pods of a silk-cotton tree (kapok tree) Ceiba pentandra, of Indonesia, Africa and tropical America. It is used for stuffing pillows, life jackets etc. and for acoustical insulation. It is also called Java Cotton.

751px-Kapok_tree-pod — Kapok tree pods, Madeira. Author: Veleta. Wikimedia Commons.

Kapok_seeds_I_IMG_8004 — Kapok seeds and silky fibre on Ceiba pentandra, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Author: J.M. Garg

2. A massive tropical tree with deep ridges on its huge trunk and bearing large pods of seeds covered with silky floss – the source of the silky kapok fibre.

Kapok_tree_Honolulu — Kapok tree in Foster Botanical Gardens, Honolulu, Hawaii. Wikimedia Commons. Author: J.M.Garg

Ceiba_pentandra_0004 — White-flowered Ceib pentandra showing spines on the buttressed trunk. Attribute: Atamari. Wikimedia Commons

Synonyms:

1. For the kapok fibre: plant fibre, cushioning, padding, Java Cotton

2. For the kapok tree: Bombay ceiba, Ceiba pentandra, ceiba tree, God tree, silk-cotton tree, white silk-cotton tree

Antonyms:

None

Word Origin:

1740-50; < Javanese (or Malay of Java and Sumatra) kapuk or kapoq the name of the large tropical tree which produces the fibres.

Use in a Sentence:

1. They say that when the kapok tree blooms it is time to gather the crocodile eggs.

Kapok_flowers_I_IMG_2377 — Kapok flowers on Ceiba pentandra. Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Wikimedia Commons. Author: J.M. Garg

2. Viewing platforms have been constructed in the tall kapok trees to allow tourists to look out over the rainforest canopy.

3. Emergent trees like the kapok rise above the rainforest canopy and provide a home for plants dependent on sunlight.

4. Naturally silky and resilient, kapok is the traditional stuffing for sitting cushions, in addition to cushions used by people who meditate in the kneeling position.

shutterstock_65990674 — Colourful monk’s prayer or meditation cushions scattered in the courtyard of Wat Pho temple in Bangkok. Image from Shutterstock.

If you’d like to check out more interesting words then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Word of the Week (WOW) – Jardinere

Published on April 4, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom21 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly challenge created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: jardinière

Pronunciation: jahr-dn-eer [zhahr-dn-yair] [ʒɑːdɪˈnjɛə]

Part of Speech:

Noun

Meaning:

1. a. an ornamental stand for plants or flowers

b. a large usually ceramic flowerpot holder

2. a garnish of fresh vegetables, cooked, diced, and served around a dish of meat

[Click here for illustrations of jardinière of vegetables]

Synonyms:

Plant pot, flower pot, plant holder, planter, pot

Antonyms:

None

Word Origin: 1835-45 < French, feminine of jardinièr gardener, equivalent to Old French jardin -garden + ier

Use in a sentence:

1. On the low wall along the driveway to the Old Hall, stood a number of impressive jardinières.

2. While we were at the garden centre, I bought an amusing watermelon jardinière.

If you’d like to check out more interesting words then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Word of the Week (WOW) – Insular

Published on March 29, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom18 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Insular

Pronunciation: In-su-lar (in-suh-ler)

Part of Speech: Adjective

Noun: insularism; insularity

Adverb: insularity

Meaning:

1. Of, relating to, or constituting an island

2. Dwelling or situated on an island > insular residents

3. Characteristic of an island people, especially having a narrow provincial viewpoint

4. Isolated or separated

5. Illiberal or narrow minded

A_well-to-do_mother_resistant_to_her_daughter's_doctor_using_Wellcome_V0011390 (1) — A well-to-do mother, resistant to her daughter’s doctor using vaccine from their neighbour’s child. It illustrates the narrow-mindedness of the petty, provincial middle classes. Source: Wikimedia Commons: wellcomeimages.org

6. (Pathology) Occurring in or characterized by one or more isolated spots or patches

Synonyms:

illiberal, narrow, narrow-minded, parochial, petty, provincial, picayune, sectarian, small, small-minded, prejudiced, blinkered

Antonyms:

broad-minded, cosmopolitan, liberal, open, open-minded, receptive, tolerant

Word Origin:

17^th Century from late Latin insulāris, from Latin insula, meaning island or isle

Use in a sentence:

1. Their new neighbourhood was an insular community that was not receptive to new ideas, especially from outsiders.

2. Jane hated the insular world of her boarding school.

800px-Herlufsholm_Boarding_school — Herlufsholm Boarding School, in Naestved, Denmark. Wikimedia Commons. Attribution: Martin Joergensen

3. As a government spy, Justin was insular by nature and interacted on a social level with very few people.

4. For a best-selling author, he seemed much too insular the deal with the scrutiny given to people of renown.

If you’d like to check out more interesting words then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Word of the Week (WOW) – Hirsute

Published on March 21, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom24 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Hirsute

Pronunciation: hir-sute (hur-soot)

Part of Speech: Adjective

Noun: Hirsuteness (hir-sute-ness)

Meaning:

1. Hairy; shaggy : having a lot of body hair, especially on the face or body

2. (Biology) Covered with coarse, stiff hairs (as a hirute leaf)

Heliotropium Indicum at Kadavoor © 2010 Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India. Creative Commons. A common weed in waste and settled areas. Native to Asia.

Synonyms:

bristly, bushy, cottony, fleecy, furred, furry, hairy, rough, shaggy, unshorn, unshaven, woolly, bearded, bewhiskered

Antonyms:

bald, furless, glabrous, hairless, shorn, smooth

Word Origin:

Early 17th Century from Latin hirsutus (shaggy). Akin to Latin horrére, meaning to bristle and hirtus, meaning hairy.

Use in a sentence:

1. Many hirute males believe that chest hair makes them feel more manly.

2. Olaf was a large, hirsute Viking with an aggressive, blustery personality.

3. (Noun) Hirsuteness in men is often seen as a sign of attractiveness.

4. I found a really hirsute caterpillar feeding on one of our growing cabbages this morning.

Hirsute_caterpiller_of_a_Javan_moth_-_indet._(5796469232) — Hirsute caterpillar of a Java moth. Attribution gbohne from Berlin, Germany.

I think this is a good word to use when describing hairy people, plants, insects and so on. It definitely adds a little something more to a sentence than merely saying ‘hairy’. It can be used to describe women too, of course, although, apart from ‘The Bearded Lady’* of Victorian fame it would not generally refer to facial hair. In women, the condition of excessive hair growth – usually dark and thick rather than fine and fair – is called HIRSUTISM.

* If anyone has never heard of this sad story, Ive added link to a Wiki page about one of these ladies HERE. (There are similar stories of other women who suffered this affliction.)

If you’d like to check out more interesting words then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Word of the Week (WOW) – Ethereal

Published on March 1, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom19 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

To participate, simply do a post with your word and leave the link to it as a comment on Heena’s WOW post.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Ethereal

Part of Speech: Adjective

(Adverb: ethereally. Noun: ethereality; etherealness)

Pronunciation: e – the – re -al (ih – theer – ee – uh – l)

Meaning:

1. Extremely light or delicate, especially in an unnatural way; refined

2. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly

3. Relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether

Synonyms:

1. ghostly, vaporous, wraithlike, waiflike, bodiless, fragile, frail, intangible, immaterial, incorporeal, diaphonous, non-physical

2. spiritual, sublime, divine, holy, Elysian, unearthly, otherworldly

Antonyms:

Substantial, earthly, worldy, corporeal, concrete, tangible, material

Word Origin:

First documented use in English 1505-15 > Latin aethere (us) > Greek aithérios

Use in a sentence:

1. Sarah gazed at the ethereal wings of a dragonfly.

2. Beyond the stars is the ethereal realm of the divine. (As in fantasy, mythology etc.)

3. Deborah was small, fair and ethereal.

4. The stained-glass windows gave the church an ethereal glow

Note. This word is not to be confused with ephemeral, which means transitory or short- lived – like a mayfly. I like both words and the ways in which they can be used.

If you would like to check out more interesting words then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Word of the Week (WOW) – Duplicity

Published on February 23, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom13 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

To participate, simply do a post with your word and leave the link to as a comment on Heena’s WOW post.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Duplicity

Part of Speech: Noun

Adjective: duplicitous

Plural: duplicities

Nearby Words:

duplicate, duplicating, duplication, duplicator,duplicature, duplicatus

Pronunciation:

UK: due-plic-i-tee (dyu-plic-i-tee)

US: du-plic-i-ty (doo-plic-i-tee)

Meaning:

1. Deliberate deceptiveness in behaviour or speech (especially by saying different things to two people).

2. An instance of deliberate deceptiveness; double dealing

3. The quality or state of being twofold or double

Synonyms:

cunning, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, double-dealing, guile, shiftiness, dissimulation, fraud, hypocrisy

Antonyms:

candidness, directness, honesty, straightforwardness

Word Origin:

1400-50 Late Middle English fron the Middle French duplicite. The roots of the word can be found in the Late Latin word, duplicatas and duplex. The most common sense of duplicity today is deceitfulness. The roots of this meaning can be found in the initial ‘dupl’ – from the Latin duplex, meaning twofold, or double.

Use in a sentence:

1. Martha was not a woman for compromise or duplicity.

2. The salesman was not averse to a little duplicity in his dealings with customers.

I particularly like the adjective of this word: duplicitous. I have a few duplicitous characters in my books. I also use the word perfidious, which can also be a synonym of duplicitous (but has other meanings as well, including unfaithful and treasonous). To me, both duplicitous and perfidious sound so much more interesting than just saying deceitful.

If you would like to check out more interesting words then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Word of the Week (WOW) – Coterminous

Published on February 12, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom12 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

To participate, simply do a post with your word and leave the link to your post as a comment on Heena’s WOW post.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Coterminous

Part of Speech: Adjective

(Comparative: more coterminous, Superlative: most coterminous)

Adverb: coterminously or conterminously

Pronunciation: co – ter – min – ous (kō-tûr′mə-nəs)

Meaning:

1. Having the same border or covering the same area

2. Being the same in extent; coextensive in range or scope

Synonyms:

coetaneous, coeval, coexistent, coexisting, coextensive, coincident, coincidental, concurrent, contemporaneous, contemporary, commensurate, simultaneous, synchronic, synchronous, nearby, close, adjacent, neighbouring, immediate, adjoining, near, proximate,

Antonyms:

asynchronous, noncontemporary, nonsimultaneous, nonsynchronous, distant

Word Origin:

C17: from Latin conterminus, from con- + terminus – end, boundary

Use in a sentence:

To illustrate the use of this word, here is a short poem, written by Heath Muchena on his blog, I of July:

I say this with some diffidence

that the world is full of struggles for recognition

coterminous with the quest for love and reverence

but also fears of indifference

and tears of rejection

This is a lovely poem and shows that the word is not only used in connection with geography. As does this sentence:

Language and thought are not strictly coterminous.

Now here are a couple of sentences which are about geography:

1. The Guidelines emphasize the importance of coterminous boundaries for agencies working in partnership.

2. Australia is the only country that is coterminous with a continent.

shutterstock_119957359

If you would like to check out more interesting words. then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Word of the Week (WOW) – Bellicose

Published on February 5, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom20 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

To participate, simply do a post with your word and leave the link to it as a comment on Heena’s WOW post.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Bellicose

Part of Speech: Adjective

(Adverb: Bellicosely. Noun: Bellicosity)

Pronunciation: bel – i – kohs (bel.ɪ.kəʊs)

Meaning:

Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight.

Synonyms:

aggressive, hostile, threatening, antagonastic, trucculent, confrontational, argumentative, pugnacious, quarrelsome, belligerent, militant, combatative

British informal: stroppy, bolshie

N. American informal: strappy

Antonyms:

peaceable, non-aggressive, non-belligerent, incombatative, uncontentious

Word Origin: Late Middle English (1400 – 1450) from the Latin bellicosus (from bellum, meaning pertaining to war).

Use in a sentence:

1. The fans had their say again and attitudes were conversational rather than bellicose and confrontational.

2. The warrior’s words were strident and bellicose.

If you would like to check out more interesting words then visit Heena’s page:

Word Treasure

Word of the Week (WOW) – Androgynous

Published on January 29, 2015June 25, 2020 by milliethom13 Comments

Word of the Week (WOW) is a weekly meme created by Heena Rathore P. It’s a fun way to improve vocabulary by learning new words every week.

To participate, simply do a post with your word and leave the link to your post as a comment on Heena’s WOW post.

Here is my WOW for this week:

Word: Androgynous

Part of Speech: Adjective

(Adverb: Androgynously. Noun: Androgyny )

Pronunciation: an-drog-y-nous (an-droj’e-nes; ænˈdrɒdʒ ə nəs)

Meaning:

1. being both male and female; hermaphroditic.

2. having both masculine and feminine characteristics.

3. having an ambiguous sexual identity.

4. neither clearly masculine nor clearly feminine in appearance:

5. (biology) an individual animal or flower that has both male and female reproductive organs

Synonyms:

cross-sexual, bisexual, unisexual, epicine, hermaphroditic

Antonyms:

gendered

(near antonyms: masculine, feminine)

Word Origin:

Early 17th century from the Latin androgynus and the Greek androgynos

Use in a sentence:

1. Rockin’ Reggie had the androgynous look of many rock stars.

2. He was a stunningly adgrogynous dancer.

Androgynous is an interesting word. I can appreciate how well it could be used in Sci-Fi novels and such like, to describe genderless beings.

In botany, androgynous is sometimes used instead of one of its synonyms, hermaphroditic. Examples of plants bearing both male and female reproductve organs include trees like birch, walnut oak and chestnut. The common plant, cuckoo pint, is often chosen as an example of a an androgynous flowering plant. Here are a couple of pictures of it: