Carolina Institute for Faith & Culture

Paul Schleifer Laudable, pronounced /ˈlɔ də bəl/ (or [law-duh-buh l] for those who do not know the International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA), means praiseworthy. According to www.etymonline.com, the word comes […]

Paul Schleifer According to the OED, a charter is a written document provided “by the sovereign or legislature … granting privileges to, or recognizing rights of, the people, or of […]

Paul Schleifer According to www.etymonline.com, abstruse entered the language in the “1590s,” and that it means “’remote from comprehension,’ from Middle French abstrus (16c.) or directly from Latin abstrusus ‘hidden, […]

Paul Schleifer If you look in a regular dictionary, the first definition of sanguine that you are likely to find will be something like “cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confidence.” But […]

Paul Schleifer In common parlance, polygamy refers to being married to multiple spouses at the same time, and when people think of the word, they normally think of one man […]

Paul Schleifer According to the OED, a poem is a “piece of writing or an oral composition, often characterized by a metrical structure, in which the expression of feelings, ideas, […]

Paul Schleifer Beneficent means doing good or performing good deeds. Unlike beneficial, the emphasis is on the second (not the third) syllable: /bɪˈnɛfɪsənt/. The word evolves in English in a […]

Paul Schleifer A riposte is a “quick, sharp return in speech or action; a counterstroke,” according to www.dictionary.com. Synonyms would include comeback, quip, and retort. According to www.etymonline.com, the word […]

Paul Schleifer The emphasis is on the second syllable, not the first (/luːˈsɪfərəs/). It’s an adjective, as are all words that are derived from nouns by the addition of the […]

Paul Schleifer According to the OED, neologism means “the use of, or the practice of using, new words; innovation in language.” Here are some synonyms: coinage, slang, a new word. […]

Paul Schleifer According to the OED, to cajole someone is to “get one’s way with [that someone] by delusive flattery, specious promises, or any false means of persuasion.” Synonyms include […]

Paul Schleifer   The OED defines dictator as “A ruler or governor whose word is law; an absolute ruler of a state.” That is extended, as a kind of metaphor, […]