DAY 5

Bellicose (Adj.): Belligerent, Pugnacious, Having or showing a ready disposition to fight “bellicose young officers"

Bequest (N): (law) a gift of personal property by will

Bereft (Adj.): Unhappy in love; suffering from unrequited love "She is merely a deviant but bereft female in need of masculine direction and control"
2. Sorrowful through loss or deprivation "bereft of hope"

Bigot (N): Stubborn, Narrow minded person, A prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own

Bilge (N): 1. Water accumulated in the bilge of a ship
2. Where the sides of the vessel curve in to form the bottom
(V): 1. Cause to leak "the collision bilged the vessel"
2. Take in water at the bilge "the tanker bilged"

Bilk (V): 1. Cheat somebody especially money or evade payment to "He bilked his creditors"
2. Hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of "bilk your opponent"
3. Escape, either physically or mentally "The thief bilked the police"

Blandishment (N): Flattery intended to persuade, Flattery coaxing

Blithe (Adj.): 1. Carefree and happy and lighthearted "was loved for her blithe spirit"
2. Lacking or showing a lack of due concern "spoke with blithe ignorance of the true situation"

Bluster (N): 1. Noisy confusion and turbulence "he was awakened by the bluster of their preparations"
2. A swaggering show of courage
3. A violent gusty wind
4. Vain and empty boasting
(V): 1. Blow hard; be gusty, as of wind "A southeaster blustered onshore"; "The flames blustered"
2. Act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner, show off

Brash (Adj.): Hasty, Offensively bold "a brash newcomer disputed the age-old rules for admission to the club"

Broach (N): A decorative pin worn by women
(V): Bring up a topic for discussion, Announce

Brook (N): 1. A natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river) "the brook dried up every summer"
(V): To tolerate, endure, Put up with something or somebody unpleasant "The new secretary had to brook a lot of unprofessional remarks"

DAY 4

Astringent (Adj.): 1. Tending to draw together or constrict soft organic tissue "astringent cosmetic lotions"
2. Sour or bitter in taste
(N): A drug that causes contraction of body tissues and canals

Atelier (N): Artist’s workman

Atonement (N): 1. Compensation for a wrong
2. The act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing (especially appeasing a deity)

Attenuate (V): Become weaker in strength, value or magnitude
(Adj.): Reduce in strength "the attenuate tones of an old recording"

Augury (N): Omen, Sign, Preindication of important things to come "he hoped it was an augury"

August (Adj.): Majestic, Venerable "august holy men"

Avow (V): 1. Admit openly and bluntly; make no bones about
2. To declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true "Before God I avow I am innocent"

Bacchanalian (Adj.): Orgy, Used of riotously drunken merrymaking "a night of bacchanalian revelry"

Balk (N): Beams supporting the roof, Area on a billiard table behind the balk line "a player with ball in hand must play from the balk"
(V): Obstacle, Purposely to get in the way of, impediment, hindrance

Barrage (N): 1. The rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication (spoken or written) "a barrage of questions"
2. The heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area rather than hit a specific target "they laid down a barrage in front of the advancing troops"
3. An artificial obstruction in a river designed to prevent flooding or divert its flow
(V): Address with continuously or persistently, as if with a barrage "The speaker was barraged by an angry audience"

Bask (V): 1. Derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in "She relished her fame and basked in her glory"
2. Enjoy warmth and light "The seals were basking in the sun"

Bedizen (V): To adorn especially in a cheap showy manner, Decorate tastelessly, Dress up garishly and tastelessly

Belabor (V): 1. Beat soundly
2. Attack verbally with harsh criticism "She was belabored by her fellow students"
3. To work at or to absurd length "belabor the obvious"

DAY 3

Aphasia (N): Inability to use or understand language (spoken or written) because of a brain lesion

Aphorism (N): Concise statement of a principle; A short pithy instructive saying "a biting aphorism"

Aplomb (N): Great coolness and composure under strain; assuredness; poise

Apostasy (N): Renunciation of a religion (Apostate, Apotheosis); abandoning a party for cause

Appellation (N): Identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others

Approbation (N): Official recognition or approval

Apropos (Adj.): Appropriate to the situation, apt
(Adv.): At the opportune time "your letter arrived apropos"

Arabesque (N): A complex ornate design; Intricate dance pose

Arboreal (Adj.): 1. Of connected with or relating to trees "an arboreal roof"
2. Inhabiting or frequenting trees "arboreal apes"

Ardor (N): 1. Enthusiasm "he spoke with great ardor"
2. A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favour of a person or cause) "they were imbued with a revolutionary ardor"

Argot (N): Jargon, Slang, A characteristic language of a particular group "they don't speak our argot"

Arrant (Adj.): Without qualification; used informally as an (often pejorative) intensifier “an arrant fool"

Ashen (Adj.): Anemic (deadly pale) looking from illness or emotion "a face turned ashen"

Asperity (N): 1. The quality of being hard to endure, uninviting or formidable "the asperity of northern winters"
2. Harshness of manner

Aspersion (N): 1. A disparaging remark, Calumny "in the 19th century any reference to female sexuality was considered a vile aspersion"
2. An abusive attack on a person's character or good name, Defamation, Slander

DAY 2

Agnostic (N.): Non committal or doubtful about something
(Adj.): Of or pertaining to an agnostic or agnosticism

Agog (Adj.): Highly excited “The internet users are agog over Google"

Alcove (N): A small recess opening off a large room; Partially enclosed place

Antebellum (Adj.): Existing before war especially the American Civil War "the flowering of antebellum culture"

Antediluvian (Adj./N): Extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period "a ramshackle antediluvian tenement"; "antediluvian ideas"

Antidote (N): Medicine used against a poison or a disease "an infallible antidote"

Antithetical (Adj.): Directly opposing; sharply contrasted in character or purpose "practices entirely antithetical to her professed beliefs"

DAY 1

Abeyance (N): Suspended action; A temporary pause; temporary inactivity

Abnegation (N): 1. The denial and rejection of a doctrine or belief “Abnegation of the Holy Trinity”
2. Self denial

Abrogate (V): Repeal or Annul by authority “The judge would not abrogate the law”

Abstemious (Adj.): 1. Restraint, especially of food and alcohol
2. Marked by temperance in indulgence “Abstemious with the use of adverbs”

Abstruse (Adj.): Difficult to comprehend; Obscure
“The professor’s lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them”

Acarpous (Adj.): Producing no fruit; No longer fertile; Worn out; Effete

Accretion (N): Accumulation; the growing of separate things into one

Addle (V): 1. Mix up or confuse “He addled the issues”
2. Become rotten “Addled eggs”

Adjunct (N): Something added but not an essential part of it; Assistant or Subordinate to another

Admonitory (Adj.): Serving to warn “An admonitory jail sentence”; Cautionary

Adorn (V): 1. Add beauty “Flowers adorned the tables everywhere”
2. Decorate “Adorn the room for party”

Adumbrate (V): 1. Describe briefly or main points or summary of
2. Give to understand “I adumbrated that I did not like his job”

Adventitious (Adj.): Associated by chance and not an integral part
"They had to decide whether his misconduct was adventitious or the result of a flaw in his character"