sine qua non (n)

"Having the belief that you can succeed is the first sine qua non to beat any challenging situation."

sine qua non (n) - an essential element; an indisputable thing

amative (adj)

"Today is known as being an amative day...but where's my love?"

amative (adj) - pertaining to love; amorous

perdurable (adj)

"The elections this year are both indelible and perdurable. The intricacies and nuances will resonate in our minds for a very long time."


perdurable (adj) - very durable; long-lasting

copacetic (adj)

"I feel copacetic about voting today. I did my civil duty."

copacetic (adj) - very satisfactory

ersatz (adj)

"I admit, eating a salad at a fast food place is an ersatz way of eating healthy."

ersatz (adj) - being an inferior substitute

menagerie (n)

"The NYC subway, especially during rush hour, is a menagerie of people; including doctors, lawyers, bankers, students, and artists."

menagerie (n) - a collection of wild or unusual animals or a diverse group

extempore (adv)

"So I just suddenly decided to take the GMAT, extempore."

extempore (adv) - without premeditation or preparation; on the spot

ineffectual (adj) -

"The amount of sleep I got last night was ineffectual."

ineffectual (adj) - weak or useless

magiloquent (adj)

Being a magniloquent and over the top speaker is not as effective a strategy in "moving the crowd" as being concise and eloquent.

magniloquent (adj) - lofty or grandiose in speech

perquisite (n)

"The perquisite of my job, and most jobs in non-profit, is the self=satisfaction of knowing that I am indeed changing lives in a positive way."

perquisite (n) - a benefit in addition to wages, anything someone has sole right to

mein (n)

"No matter how hard I try to hide it, my mein is usually reflected by the expression on my face."

mein (n) - manner, demeanor, or appearance

irascible (adj)

"Most people say that I'm not an *irascible* person, no matter how much I'm provoked. However I do sometimes have those rare moments of rage."

irascible (adj) - prone to anger or hot-tempered

indelible (adj)

"The Presidential election of 2008 will leave an indelible mark on the minds of Americans for a very long time."

indelible (adj) - cannot be removed or forgotten

neophyte (n)

"I remember the days when I was a neophyte...a young, newly born Sigma with high hopes of changing greek life at Duke..."

neophyte (n) - a novice or new convert

nolens volens (phrase)

"Dream career or job from hell, I have to wake up everyday and work to pay off the bills I choose to create, nolens volens. It's a fact of life!"

nolens volens - Latin for "willing or unwilling"

permeate (v)

"Let the words of Dr. King permeate all that we do. The dream hasn't come to fruition yet, but hopefully it will on Nov 4th!"

permeate (v) - to spread or pass through

callow (adj)

"Let us not be callow to the words of Dr. King; let us rise up against our troubled past."

callow (adj) - immature

stoic (adj)

"No matter how many times I'm hurt or mistreated, I hope to never become stoic. The really good feelings are worth feeling some bad here and there."

stoic (adj) - being indifferent or unaffected by pleasure, pain, joy, or grief

upbraid (int. v)

"Our Mayor's way of upbraiding the DC public school system is to shut down poor performing schools...shouldn't that be all of them?"

upbraid (int. v) - to scold or criticize harshly

nonagenarian (n)

"I can only hope to one day be a nonagenarian; I'll need to be smart about my health to reach my nineties."

nonagenarian (n) - a person in their nineties

primogeniture (int. v)

"Nowadays among US families, having primogeniture doesn't mean much anymore. It's the child, regardless of birth order, that works the hardest and/or looks the most attractive that gets all of the attention."

primogeniture (int. v) - seniority; state of being first born in family

supplicate (int. v)

"After a recent mistake I made, I had to supplicate myself in order to win back the favor of the 'victim.' Fortunately, they were humble enough to hear my plea. I hope it works..."

supplicate (int. v) - to ask, pray, or plead humbly

raillery (n)

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but that kind of raillery can't hurt me."

raillery (n) - mockery or teasing

imprimatur (n)

"A sign of 'growing up' is when you don't need the imprimatur of your parents, but still ask anyway...I guess I'm not grown yet!"

imprimatur (n) - approval, sanction

remonstrate (int. v)

"I often remonstrate with the childlike desire to drop everything and traverse the international world."

remonstrate (int. v) - to oppose or protest

pertinacious (adj)

"One must be pertinacious if they are to be in a happy relationship, avoiding the many temptations out there."

pertinacious (adj) - very stubborn

mimetic (adj)

The population has a mimetic nature to follow the media's representation, whether accurate or not!"

mimetic (adj) - imitative nature

scrabble (int. v)

"I often scrabble my thoughts and daydreams on notebook paper, never again to be seen."

scrabble (int. v) - to scribble, scrape, or scratch

friable (adj)

"Unfortunately, American presidential elections are as friable as crumb cake.

friable (adj) - easily crumbled

lacuna (n)

"I sometimes think I had a bad childhood due to the many lacunae in my memory."

lacuna (n) - blank space or gap [lacunae]

arcanum (n)

"DC weather is an arcanum. One day it's on hot as hell, the next it's cold as ice and the weather stations can't seem to get it right!"

arcanum (n) - a secret or mystery

faineant (adj)

"Sometimes I don't want to move and I begin feeling faineant, but then I look at my life and the many things I've accomplished and I think, 'It's okay to not always be so active."

faineant (adj) - idle, lazy, or a do-nothing

zeitgeist (n)

"I have somehow avoided the zeitgeist of African American males ending up in jail or worse. Thank you mom."

zeitgeist (n) - current culture or trend