My Science School

(Pronounced awb.vee.ayt)

Meaning: A verb, obviate means to eliminate a need for something or to prevent something from happening.

Origin: The term is derived from Late Latin obviat meaning "prevented", from the Latin verb obviare meaning "to withstand". The prefix "ob" means "to go against" and "via" means "way" in Latin. The term obviate has been in use in English since the late 16th Century.

Usage: The natural breeze in the evening is so good that it obviates the need to switch on the fan at home.

A parachute can be used to obviate disaster. The new medicine obviates the need for surgery.

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(Pronounced deh-fuh.ren-shl)

Meaning: This adjective means polite and showing respect.

Origin: Originating in the 17th Century, it meant ‘bearing off or away’, from the French word deferent, which, in turn, was from, Latin deferentem- the present participle of deferre, meaning "to carry down or away". In Middle English, it was used as a word in Ptolemaic astronomy to explain the apparent motion of planets.

 Example: People were always deferential to her.

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(Pronounced dau.ti)

Meaning: An adjective, doughty means brave, dauntless or intrepid. It is also used to describe someone who is unwilling to stop trying to achieve something. In other words, the term refers to fearless resolution.

Origin: Doughty is said to have a Germanic origin dyhtig, meaning "competent, strong". It came to be used in Middle English to mean "brave, valiant" from Old English dohtig, a variant of dyhtig.

Usage: She has been for decades a doughty campaigner for children's rights.

They have been stifled by their doughty opponents.

Despite her illness, her doughty spirit kept her going.

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(pronounced as faw.sl)

Meaning: The word fossil corresponds to the remains or impression of a prehistoric animal or plant that is embedded in rock and preserved in petrified form. In a humorous, and sometimes derogatory sense it can also be used to refer to a person or thing that is outdated or resistant to change

Origin: The word has been around since 1610s meaning "anything dug up”. It is derived from French fossile from Latin fossilis “dug up". The restricted noun sense of "geological remains of a plant or animal” that is most popular now has been around from 1736 Despite having some ups and downs, the word has been fairly popular over the last two centuries or so.

Usage: When she grows up, she wants to become a palaeontologist and study fossils.

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(Pronounced: im pla ca·ble)

Meaning: An adjective, implacable means not placable, that is not capable of being appeased, easily calmed or pacified.

Origin: The word is derived from the Latin word implacabilis which means unappeasable or irreconcilable. The word was first used in the 15th century.

Usage: For King Edward, the new friendship between the reigning powers of the neighbouring kingdoms loomed as an implacable threat to his crown.

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(pronounced as nig.ael)

Meaning:  The word niggle is used to denote things that cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety. It is also used to refer to criticising or annoying someone in a petty way.

Origin: The word, which is of uncertain origin, has been around since the 1590s. It is possibly from a Scandinavian source and compared with Norwegian nigla. The current sense of the word dates back to the late 18th Century.

Even though the word has been around for hundreds of years, it has grown hugely popular in terms of usage in the last few decades. This can perhaps be attributed to its usage in sports, as it is often employed to convey minor injuries of sportspersons.

Usage: Some players were rested for the tour as the selectors did not want to risk aggravating their niggles.

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(Pronounced teh-nyoo-uhs)

Meaning:  This adjective refers to what is weak and possibly does not exist.

Origin: In use since the 16th Century, it formed irregularly from the Latin word tenuis, meaning "thin, drawn out, meager, slim, slender' and figuratively referred to "trifling, insignificant, poor, low in rank". The correct form with respect to the Latin is tenuious. The figurative sense of "having slight importance, not substantial" is found from 1817 in English.

Example: They had a tenuous grip on reality.

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(Pronounced: conundrum)

Meaning: A noun, conundrum means a difficult problem. It also means a problem that has only a conjectural or hypothetical answer.

Origin: While the word was first used in 1645, the origin of the word is not known.

Usage: Ensuring water supply throughout the year in the kingdom was one of the biggest conundrums the king faced.

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(Pronounced stai.mee)

Meaning: As a verb, "stymie" means to hinder the progress of or to stop someone from doing something. As a noun, the term means a situation presenting such difficulties as to deter any attempt to deal with it.

Origin: Of uncertain origin, it perhaps came from the Scottish "stymie" meaning "person who cannot see well." The word "stymie" entered English in the 19th Century as a noun referring to a golfing situation in which one players ball lies between another ball and the hole on the green, thereby blocking the line of play. Later, it came to be used as a verb in the present sense and also in non-golf contexts.

Usage: Faced with financial constraints, the company is putting a stymie on spending.

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(pronounced i.naw.gruhl)

Meaning: The word inaugural marks the beginning of an institution, activity, or period of office.

Origin: In use since the 1680s, the word is derived from French inaugural, which has been around since the 17th Century. The French word is from inaugurer "to inaugurate”, which is from Latin inaugurare, of the same meaning. The noun meaning "an inaugural address" has been in use from 1832.

Following a spike in usage from the 1850s to the 1900s, the usage of the word has remained fairly even.

Usage: The inaugural Women's Premier League auction saw some of the top international women players end up with fat pay cheques.

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(Pronounced tsuk.ket.to.)

Meaning: This noun refers to a Roman Catholic cleric’s skullcap with different colours for different ranks - black for a priest, purple for a bishop, red for a cardinal, and white for the Pope.

Origin: This word has its origin in the Italian word zucca, meaning gourd, head, in reference to its shape. This is, in turn, from Late Latin cucutia, meaning gourd, probably from Latin cucurbita, meaning pumpkin or squash.

Example: The wind swept away the Pope's zucchetto.

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Pronounced as: ga-muht

Meaning: A noun, "gamut" means an entire range or series

Origin: Its origin is considered to be a contraction of "gamma ut', a Latin expression in the Middle Ages for "the full range of notes in music," Its first known was in the 15th Century.

Usage: When it was time to perform for the first time on stage, she experienced an entire gamut of emotions.

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(Pronounced reverie)

Meaning: This noun refers to a state of having pleasant dream-like thoughts.

Origin: It comes from the Old French word "reverie" which means 'wildness" or "delirium."

Example: I was lost in reverie and did not realise my flight was boarding until it was almost too late.

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(Pronounced reverie)

Meaning: This noun refers to a state of having pleasant dream-like thoughts.

Origin: It comes from the Old French word "reverie" which means 'wildness" or "delirium."

Example: I was lost in reverie and did not realise my flight was boarding until it was almost too late.

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Pronounced as: fluh-res-uhns

Meaning: A noun. "florescence" means a state or period of flourishing

Origin: Its origin is from the Latin word "florescentia" meaning "blossoming." Its first known use was in 1793.

Usage: The 1960s was a period of florescence of art, music, and culture and it ushered in a significant change in the social spectrum.

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