Carolina Institute for Faith & Culture

Paul Schleifer Facile is primarily an adjective, but it has a variety of meanings, in part depending upon the type of noun that it is modifying. The OED lists its […]

Paul Schleifer Ameliorate means “to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve (www.dictionary.com). It can be used as a transitive (takes an object: The mediator could not […]

Paul Schleifer Babble is a flexible word. As a verb, it can be intransitive (used without an object) or transitive (used with an object). It means “to utter sounds or […]

Paul Schleifer Histrionic without a final –s is an adjective that means “overly dramatic.” If you add a final –s, you turn it into a noun meaning “melodramatic behavior designed […]

Paul Schleifer A bushwhacker is a person who whacks his way through the bushes. Makes sense, right? The word is an Americanism. According to the OED, it first appears in […]

Paul Schleifer According to the OED, complementary means “combining in such a way as to enhance or emphasize the qualities of each other or another.” At www.dictionary.com, we find simply […]

Paul Schleifer According to the OED, sodality is a noun meaning “a confraternity or association, especially a Roman Catholic religious guild or brotherhood.” It appears in English in the early […]

Paul Schleifer If you were to ask my wife, she might tell you that gainsay is an apt word for me to write about because it means “1. to deny, […]

Paul Schleifer At www.dictionary.com, you’ll find the following definition for pejorative: “having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force.” The example given, “the pejorative affix -ling in princeling,” is kind of fun. […]

Paul Schleifer When we inveigh against something, we protest against it strongly or rail against it or attack it vehemently using our words. According to the OED, this attack can […]

Paul Schleifer Tact means “skill and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues,” according to the OED. Furthermore, the OED says that it enters the language in the […]

Paul Schleifer Regal is an adjective that means “of or related to a king; royal,” according to www.dictionary.com. Through the process of generalizing, it comes to mean “splendid” or “stately.” […]