Polemic

1. A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine.

2. A person engaged in or inclined to controversy, argument, or refutation.


adj. also po·lem·i·cal (--kl)
Of or relating to a controversy, argument, or refutation.


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[French polémique, from Greek polemikos, hostile, from polemos, war.]
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po·lemi·cal·ly adv.

chatelaine

n.

1 The mistress of a castle.
2 The mistress of a large, fashionable household.
3 A clasp or chain worn at the waist for holding keys, a purse, or a watch.

Femanine of chatelain

The master of a castle; a castellan.

I did know that; but only sinse recently; must have heard it on a quiz show or something. We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that “this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.” Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of “a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of....”

Traduce

tr.v. tra·duced, tra·duc·ing, tra·duc·es
To cause humiliation or disgrace to by making malicious and false statements.

Latin trdcere, to lead as a spectacle, dishonor : tr-, trns-, trans- + dcere, to lead; see deuk- in Indo-European Roots.]

tra·ducement n.
tra·ducer n.
tra·ducing·ly adv.

Sinecure

1. A position or office that requires little or no work but provides a salary.
2. Archaic. An ecclesiastical benefice not attached to the spiritual duties of a parish.


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[From Medieval Latin (beneficium) sine cr, (benefice) without cure (of souls) : Latin sine, without + Latin cr, ablative of cra, care; see cure.]
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sine·cur·ism n.
sine·curist n.

Why have I never come across this word before, when it suits my ideal way of life exactly?

Wampum

1. Small cylindrical beads made from polished shells and fashioned into strings or belts, formerly used by certain Native American peoples as currency and jewelry or for ceremonial exchanges between groups. Also called peag.
2. Informal. Money.


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[Short for wampumpeag.]

Cicerone (siseroni)

n. pl. cic·e·ro·nes or cic·e·ro·ni (-n)
A guide for sightseers.

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[Italian, from Latin Cicer, Cicern-, Marcus Tullius Cicero.]

Cicerone

\Ci`ce*ro"ne\, n.; pl. It. Ciceroni, E. Cicerones. [It., fr. L. Cicero, the Roman orator. So called from the ordinary talkativeness of such a guide.] One who shows strangers the curiosities of a place; a guide.

Gamp

n. Chiefly British
A large baggy umbrella.


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[After the umbrella of Mrs. Sarah Gamp, a character in the novel Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens.][/b]

Cantharis

1. A brilliant green blister beetle (Lytta vesicatoria or Cantharis vesicatoria) of central and southern Europe.
2. cantharides (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A toxic preparation of the crushed, dried bodies of this beetle, formerly used as a counter-irritant for skin blisters and as an aphrodisiac.

Voltaic

1. Of, relating to, or being electricity or electric current produced by chemical action; galvanic.
2. Producing electricity by chemical action.


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[After VoltaCount, Alessandro.]

voltaic

\Vol*ta"ic\, a. [Cf. F. volta["i]que, It. voltaico.] 1. Of or pertaining to Alessandro Volta, who first devised apparatus for developing electric currents by chemical action, and established this branch of electric science; discovered by Volta; as, voltaic electricity.

2. Of or pertaining to voltaism, or voltaic electricity; as, voltaic induction; the voltaic arc.

Voltaic arc, a luminous arc, of intense brilliancy, formed between carbon points as electrodes by the passage of a powerful voltaic current.

Voltaic battery, an apparatus variously constructed, consisting of a series of plates or pieces of dissimilar metals, as copper and zinc, arranged in pairs, and subjected to the action of a saline or acid solution, by which a current of electricity is generated whenever the two poles, or ends of the series, are connected by a conductor; a galvanic battery.

Voltaic circuit.

Voltaic couple or element, a single pair of the connected plates of a battery.

Voltaic electricity.

Voltaic pile, a kind of voltaic battery consisting of alternate disks of dissimilar metals, separated by moistened cloth or paper. See 5th Pile.

Voltaic protection of metals, the protection of a metal exposed to the corrosive action of sea water, saline or acid liquids, or the like, by associating it with a metal which is positive to it, as when iron is galvanized, or coated with zinc.

geezerbird... I can see that catching on Don't mind been alone on this one; is as much for me as anyone else, a new word each day...

Begum

n.
1. A Muslim woman of rank.
2. Used as a form of address for such a woman.


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[Urdu begam, from East Turkic begüm, first person sing. possessive of beg, master, mistress.]


Begum

\Be"gum\, n. [Per., fr. Turk., perh. properly queen mother, fr. Turk. beg (see Beg, n.) + Ar. umm mother.] In the East Indies, a princess or lady of high rank.

Begum

n : a Muslim woman of high rank in India or Pakistan

Oh, that's a good one. I've heard of sequester but didn't know you could use it like that...