Word of the week F block

 " Escrow " (n.) a legal concept describing a financial instrument whereby an asset or escrow money is held by a third party on behalf of two other parties that are in the process of completing a transaction "The NBA holds 10 percent of player salaries in an escrow account. That money is distributed to players at the end of the league year if player salaries fail to reach the collectively bargained percentage of revenue given to players." From NBA article I thought that this was a cool concept, shedding light on what actually is going on with professional athlete salaries and how the teams manage them. I thought it was interesting how the number we see is actually a fake number, and the real salary numbers for teams is determined by this concept.

 Mal du pays: (n) homesickness; I found this word in a tik tok where a French woman was pronouncing French words that are also used in the English language. I chose this word for this week because I found it very interesting, yet irrelevant in real life. I don't think there will ever be a time where I use "mal du pays" over plain old "homesickness." This word is also interesting because it's like three words in one, which I thought was very unusual. I guess the French language is just extremely strange, but it was cool to come across a word like this. 

 (noun)  the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect “Simply make a video of Mr. Trump’s gaffes, malapropisms, absurdities, tasteless utterances, vulgarities, falsehoods, etc., and play them over and over.”-New York Times Article I chose this word because not only did I think the sentence was funny, I also thought it was interesting that there was a word for something so specific.

Metamorphose: (verb) to change, or cause to change, completely in form or nature,  “Admittedly he was listening to a Best of Queen tape, but no conclusions should be drawn from this because all tapes left in a car for more than about a fortnight metamorphose into Best of Queen albums.” ( Good Omens , Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett) I chose this word from the novel Good Omens , one of my favorite books, because I felt that this particular sentence described an aspect of my favorite character Crowley very well.  Crowley is a demon who is able to affect the items around him due to his celestial magic, and because of his love for the band Queen, any music disc in his car eventually turns into a copy of a "Best of Queen" album.  I find this very funny since Crowley is supposed to be a scary demon, but instead he uses his powers for self-fulfillment reasons, such as recreating album copies of his favorite band.

Pabulum (adj.) - bland or insipid intellectual fare, entertainment, etc.; pap. “The pabulum of popular themes is a poor thing…” (Management Article) I chose this word because I had never seen it before and it was fun to say. The word sounds and looks like pendulum. I saw it in an article I had to read for my Management class. I like that having to add my own vocab words each week causes me to look up these unknown words because I would have just skipped it otherwise.  

 Lowering- (Adj) dark and threatening “When it is evening, ye say, ‘It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering.” Matthew 16:2-3 This is the Bible’s version of “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight, red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.” I found it in Randall Munroe’s How To , in a chapter about weather prediction. It’s very interesting, because this method of weather prediction actually works, due to the way that weather moves from west to east in temperate areas. At sunset, the light is passing through air that you can't see to the west, which means that if there is still light after the sun sets, then there are no clouds incoming. In the morning, a red sky means that clouds are incoming, and potentially storms.

Avarice (noun)  insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth "Thankfully, avarice was an international sin" ( Inferno by Dan Brown) I chose this word because I had never come across it before it my life. All the other words, I have come across at some time or another (I just didn't know what they meant), but this word I had never come across. Also, I though that knowing the meaning of this word changed the whole way you looked at the chapter in the book because this sentence sort of tied up what the entire chapter was getting at.

Itinerant: (adjective) travelling from place to place "... Reverend Mr. [George] Whitefield, who had made himself remarkable there as an itinerant preacher." (History Text)  I chose this word because when I was reading, I was not able to figure out its meaning through context clues and I thought that it might be important to know. I am happy that I looked it up because I never would have guessed that this was its meaning, and I would have been left misunderstanding the text. 

  referendum (noun): a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision “Then voters,instead of the legislature, accepted or rejected the initiative by referendum” - History textbook

Centenarian: (noun) a person who lives one hundred or more years old “At the latest count, 15 of the Ogimi’s 3,000 villagers are centenarians. One hundred and seventy-one are in their 90s.” - From news article about an island community that knows the key to old age I chose this word because I have never seen it in context before, but looking at the word it has “century” in it, explaining its meaning. I did not know there was a word that could describe someone who lives more than 100 years.

 Periapsis: (N.)  A point in an orbiting path in which it is nearest the body it is orbiting “Lunar IceCube, for instance, will be placed in a nearly polar equatorial periapsis orbit (the point at which the orbiting craft is closest to the moon), with a "repeating" coverage pattern allowing it to observe swaths of the lunar surface at different times of day over several 28-Earth-day lunar cycles, Clark told Space.com” (found in newspaper article, Tiny moonbound spacecraft have very big goals , https://www.space.com/cubesats-moon-water-ice-exploration ). With my new understanding of this word, my knowledge of astronomy is widened. In the modern world in which space is being explored, I will be able to understand what is happening more. The idea of water on the moon is also very intriguing and poses an important topic for the future.

 Jargon: n. Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand. "Why can't he understand all this scientific jargon if he is the CEO of a company?"   -A friend's essay I chose this word because it is a word that I have heard used before, but never really knew what it meant. Once I looked it up, I was able to better understand this sentence and more proficiently help my friend with editing.

 Jargon: (noun) - Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand (technical terminology). “Some people suppose that psychology merely documents and dresses in jargon what people already know.” - Psychology textbook I chose the word jargon because I had no idea what it meant and was confused by the sentence until I looked up its definition. After learning it’s meaning I could then understand what the author was trying to convey in this sentence. I also thought it was an interesting word that I have not seen many times before. 

Mixolydian : (adj.) the fifth/dominant mode in a modern musical or diatonic scale "The modern Mixolydian scale is the fifth mode of the major scale (Ionian mode). That is, it can be constructed by starting on the fifth scale degree (the dominant) of the major scale. Because of this, the Mixolydian mode is sometimes called the dominant scale." From music article lesson  This is an interesting and useful concept that I've come across a lot as I've played music over the years, and I thought it was a cool word.

 Privy - Adj: sharing in the knowledge of (something secret of private) "The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person, and so it came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men" - The Great Gatsby  I chose this word for week 5 because we're starting to read The Great Gatsby and this was the first word that I didn't know when I started reading it. 

Betwixt: (Preposition) Between (two people or things). (Adverb) In the space separating two people or things; in between. “...almost all of us [were] born in New England, [we are] divided betwixt natural affection to our nearest relations and good faith and friendship to our king and country...” - History questions Believe it or not, for the first time ever, I learned that many of the words we use often are prepositional adverbs. These include above, below, above, between, etc. Since betwixt means between, the word is also a prepositional adverb. In fact, there are things called prepositional adjectives as well. Some examples of these would be at, in, of, etc. In the end, I chose this word because out of the 10 words on my list, this one taught me the most.

  Fatuity (Noun) something foolish or stupid “The face she lifted to her dancers was the same which, when she saw him, always looked like a window that has caught the sunset. He even noticed two or three gestures which, in his fatuity , he had thought she had kept for him: a way of throwing a head back when she was amused, as if to taste her laugh before she let it out, and a trick of sinking her lids slowly when anything charmed or amused her” ( Ethan Frome  by Edith Wharton).  When I first read this passage, I did not know what fatuity meant so I was confused about what the sentence was conveying. My understanding of the sentence changed when I learned that the word means stupidity. Understanding what this word helped with establishing the mood and the perspective of the character also. This helped me understand that the character feels disappointed. 

  Stark-Adjective       - severe or bare in appearance or outline. Her stark descriptions of the Cook county infirmary, asylum, and other institutions were printed as a chapter in Hull-House Maps and Papers. -Article on Julia Lathrop I picked the word stark because, in the sentence that it was used, I could tell that it was an adjective and was used to enhance the type of descriptions that Julia Lathrop made of the institutions, but I couldn't tell what it was trying to describe. I had to look it up to see what the word was trying to express, then I was able to see that it was saying that the descriptions that Julia made were severe, clear, and disturbing.

 Loquacious (adjective) full of excessive talk "'He's not particularly loquacious'" (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [movie] => Hermione speaking to Harry about Viktor Krum)  I chose this word because I always enjoyed this line in the Harry Potter movies although I was never sure of what Hermione meant because I never knew the definition of the word. Learning the meaning helped me better understand what Hermione was trying to say and made it so I actually understood the joke she and Harry were laughing at.

 Aberrant (adj):  departing from an accepted standard As Jesse Bering explained in 2013, the term is similar to other expressions, like “the gay lifestyle” or “avowed homosexual,” that were once common but are now considered offensive. These phrases play into the anti-gay canard that sexual minorities are not a discrete and insular minority deserving of constitutional protections but rather deviants who should not be rewarded for their aberrant sexuality. - Article about Amy Coney Barret hearing I picked this word this week because the definition reminded me of a main ideal of the book from the Awakening which we have been discussing in class. This word means to be different than the accepted standards, just as Edna was acting differently than what was the accepted norm in the book.

Debunk: (v) expose the falseness or hollowness of (a myth, idea, or belief). “The magician James Randi exemplifies skepticism. He has tested and debunked supposed psychic phenomena.” (Psychology Textbook) I chose this word because I'm currently learning about how to approach claims with skepticism and curiosity in order to scientifically find out whether it is true or not. It's important to approach it without bias and be able to see multiple perspectives. I felt that debunk was a fitting word, and it's also fun to say.

 (adj.) not simultaneous or concurrent in time "This month my classes are very asynchronous"- My dad when talking about work I chose this word because I kept hearing my dad say it when he was talking about work and I never knew what he was meant because I didn't understand the word. I decided to look it up and now I understand what he was trying to say.

 Hepcat: (noun) A stylish or fashionable person, especially in the sphere of jazz or popular music; a hipster “Say goodbye to your street cred, hepcats!” (said by Dr. Doofenshmirtz in an episode of Phineas and Ferb) I chose the word hepcat because I like its meaning. I thought it was an interesting and fun word, and now that I know it’s definition I hope I will remember it and use it in the future. I also enjoyed how it is old slang that was used in the 40’s.

 Microbaroms: N: The infrasound that the waves on the sea make. Also known as "the voice of the sea". This was found in Randall Munroe's book How To , in the chapter on building a piano that can play all  frequencies of sound from around 0.1 Hz to the point that air becomes "opaque" to sound because of the frequency and how waves attenuate worse based off of the square of the frequency. Microbaroms are the sound that waves make, not waves crashing, but the actual ripples in the water. At 0.2 Hz, they are impossible to hear, but infrasound detectors (which are basically an array of high sensitivity barometers) can detect them from the other side of the world. Infrasound is a very interesting thing. Sounds like it are at most 1 Hz, and humans can only hear down to 20 Hz. Sound at this level travels very far, and because of this it was studied mostly in the cold war, because if someone did a nuclear test it would be impossible to hide the infrasound. Now any detect...

 Espouse: (verb) adopt or support (a cause, belief, or way of life) "James Otis, Samuel Adams, Royall Tyler, Oxenbridge Thacher, and a host of other Bostonians... espoused a vision of politics that gave credence to laboring-class views..." (History Reading) I chose this word because when I first saw it, I immediately related it to the word spouse. I knew that it had nothing to do with that word and that I only related it to it because their appearances are similar. After looking up the word, I was able to understand the sentence much better than I had before looking it up as well.  

 Neuroticism: (N)  A trait determined by one’s distressing and unsafe experiences in the world (component of psychological development) “ The Big Five Personality Test helps you explore your personality type using the five-factor model that looks at your openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion and neuroticism ” (found in an article about personality traits, https://www.careeraddict.com/personality-tests ). With my new understanding of this word, I can enhance my understanding of personalities and psychology in general. In the future, if I decide to take a psychology course, I will be able to understand the subject more and have a basic understanding.

 Inwrought: (Adjective) An object i ntricately embroidered with a particular pattern or decoration, “While I was still in Amsterdam, I dreamed about my mother for the first time in years. I'd been shut up in my hotel for more than a week, afraid to telephone anybody or go out; and my heart scrambled and floundered at even the most innocent noises: elevator bell, rattle of the minibar cart, even church clocks tolling the hour, de Westertoren, Krijtberg, a dark edge to the clangor, an inwrought fairy-tale sense of doom,” ( The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Page 1) I chose this word because I felt that the author Donna Tartt used it in a creative way. The word is used to describe objects, such as paintings, with embroidered patterns or decorations, and Tartt uses it to describe how the atmosphere of the night helped to fabricate a sense of doom that leads into the opening of the story.

Ostensible: (Adj) states or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so “The ostensible goal of such school was to teach Indian children the skills necessary to function effectively in American society” - From history homework about the frontier  I chose this word because it is unique and cool, but can also describe something as true, but not really true. It’s interesting how a word can take on such a definition of describing something that is correct, but also not correct.

 Implacability - N. the quality or state of being stubbornly inflexible "He's got my father's soft eyes and optimistic spirit, my mother's implacability" - Becoming pg 5 by Michelle Obama I chose this word for Week 4 because I owned the book Becoming for a long time but I haven't read it until now and implacability was one of the first words that I didn't know. Also since it was a book written by Michelle Obama I was thinking about politics while reading it and I think this word defines the mindset of a lot of people in politics at the moment.

 Accord (Verb) :  give or grant someone (power, status, or recognition) “Can anyone feel any respect for a government that accords rights only to the privileged classes, and none to the workers?" - History article

  Fricassee n. A dish or fried pieces of meat served with a white sauce. "Nobody beat us, fry us and eat us in fricassee" -Sebastian in The Little Mermaid I chose this word because I have never heard it before, and I thought it was an interesting word that is fun to say.

  Ineffable (adj.) too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words "Sometimes, ideas of science and religion are ineffable , too strange and difficult to pin down." From conversation at church I liked this word because I think it can explain a lot of the unknown things it life. We all have big questions about the universe how everything connects, and sometimes it can only be deciphered in thought, not able to be expressed in words.

  Nebulous (Adj.)  (of a concept or idea) unclear, vague, I’ll-defined “If no reaction is specified, the units of kJ/mol [reaction] are nebulous  as to exactly which form of the balanced reaction is being referenced (with or without fractions)” lesson in chemistry class When I first heard the word nebulous, I thought is sounded very weird. I had never heard the word before reading it in a chemistry lesson. I did not understand what the word meant in the context of the sentence above. After I learned that the word nebulous meant ‘unclear’, I understood the chemistry concept that was being taught better. The lesson emphasized that if a balanced chemical reaction is not given in a chemistry problem, the units of energy would be unclear. 

Astute: (Adj) Having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one's advantage. “Abigail Adams, the politically astute wife of John Adams, a delegate from Massachusetts, agreed.” - History Questions I chose this word because this word defines the next presidential debate coming up. The whole point of presidential debates is to argue on policies and attack each other's policies. Although this did not really happen in the first debate, based on the failure the first one was, analysts are expecting the second presidential debate to be heavily moderated will well enforcement of its rules. This would allow us to see the proper policies each candidate has envisioned, as shown well in the coinciding town halls that happened recently in place of the second debate. The final debate is planned to be on October 22nd.

Noun - a saying expressing a common experience or observation or general truth; proverb Many farmers believed the adage that “water follows the plow”.- History Worksheet I chose this word because I did not know what this meant at all, without knowing the meaning of the word the sentence does not make sense and I would not have gotten the information that I needed. At first, I thought it meant more like the addition of something which would not have made sense in the sentence, I then decided to look up the definition and realized that it had nothing to do with what I thought and that it means a proverb.

 Latter: (adj)  situated or occurring nearer to the end of something than to the beginning. The latter might be oppressed in a thousand shapes without any sympathy or exciting any alarm in the former. - Primary source from history class on the Stamp Act First, this word caught my eye because I though it was ladder, but spelt with two T's. But I realized this couldn't make sense in the context of the sentence, so I did some research. It describes something that is closer to the end than to the beginning and I thought about school and how I wished that it was almost over. So I made a sentence using this word in my head which was, "I walked outside in the warm spring air, knowing that it was the latter half of the school year."

 Bygone: (Noun) That which is past. “And like that, bygones.” (found in an episode of the Vampire Diaries) I chose this word because I have heard it used a lot, especially in the phrase “let bygones be bygones”. Although I know and have used this word I never knew it’s actual definition. I just knew the general idea of what the phrase meant. So I thought it was interesting to finally learn the actual meaning of this word. 

 (adj.) expressive or suffering or woe "The music grew strange and fantastic- turbulent, insistent, plaintive and soft with entreaty"- The Awakening  I thought this word was interesting because it has the word "plain" in it so I expected it to mean something that is ordinary or undecorated, but it is actually a word meaning something quite expressive.

 Hobble, a verb, is described by the Merriam Webster online dictionary as: " “ to move along unsteadily or with difficulty”  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobble As I made more progress in a novel I'm currently reading called The Long Walk, t wo minor characters in the novel, Stebbins and Olson, struggle to keep up with the walking requirements of the competition. The narrator describes the plight of these straggling walkers: “they were hobbling along, both of them. Like they had been crucified and then taken down and made to walk with the nails still through their feet.” When I first saw this word, its rather playful and soothing cadence made me think this word would have a positive definition. But to my surprise, the word was used in Stephen King's novel in quite the opposite manner. The narrator vividly describes the fact that the young men in the competition were nothing but walking corpses at this point in time, which I found to be an extremely powerful ...

 (noun) A magical work or phrase uttered with intention of bringing about evil or destructions; a curse "Menaces and maledictions against King and Nobles" -King Lear I chose this word because I had never heard it before and when I looked up the definition I thought it was an interesting synonym for a commonly known curse.

 Qualia: (noun) Describes t he sensations of experience or the feels of something; describes how an experience tastes, looks, or sounds, " Take a sunset, if you will, in reality, all we’re really seeing are wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum [...] but your eyes turn those wavelengths into information, and your brain turns that information into yellow and orange, or into an experience.  And the colors themselves as you see them are the qualia ,” (There’s No Such Thing As Orange, exurb1a on YouTube ). I discovered this word while watching a video by a YouTuber called exurb1a, whose known for making content about through information about science and philosophy. In his latest video, "There's No Such Thing As Orange" he explained how our brain transforms wavelengths and chemicals into sensations and experiences, such as how our brain can take the wavelengths of light from a sunset and turn it into a scene that we can observe. I chose the word "qualia...

 (noun) a beginner in any field of learning (I heard this word in while having a conversation with my dad. He used it to describe me because I was trying to learn something new, and I was a beginner in that field. ) I chose this word because of my 10 words this week it was my favorite because of the way it was pronounced but also because I feel like this word could've come in handy many times in my life, and it was shocking that this was the first time I ever came across the word. 

  Smite : (V) Strike with a firm blow. "A quick vision of death smote her soul..." -The Awakening This word was in the excerpt of the awakening we read before answering the discussion questions. I chose this word because I did not know what the word meant and I could not understand the passage fully until I looked it up.

  Delegate : (v)  entrust (a task or responsibility) to another person, typically one who is less senior than oneself. “Organizational Structure determines the manner and extent to which roles, power, and responsibilities are delegated, controlled, and coordinated” (Management Notes) I am taking Management this year and I've learned that being able to delegate tasks can speed up the process towards the overall goal. I'm interested in business, so I want to learn more about leading a team and running a business effectively.

 Expound:(Verb) Present and explain (a theory or topic) systematically and in detail "Other Enlightenment philosophers adopted and expounded on Locke's ideas." (History text) I chose this word because when I first saw it, I assumed it meant expanded. After looking it up, I realized it was an entirely different word, which changed the way I read the sentence. I thought it was interesting that I was so quick to assume that the word meant something else just because it sounded similar and was spelled similarly to another word I already knew. 

Wholly: adverb   entirely; fully “Perhaps he will never wholly release her from the spell. Perhaps she will never again suffer a poor” - The Awakening

 Alma Mater: (N.) The school (college or university) that an individual once attended Found in a college recruitment form, asking for, "Mother and Father's alma mater ". With my understanding of this word, I hope to be able to enhance my knowledge in the college process that I am beginning. In addition, this word will enhance my vocabulary when talking to other schools (impressive).

(adj)- having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries Early on, he accused Biden of calling Trump’s travel ban “hysterical” and “xenophobic.” -article on VP debate When I first read this word while working on my History Homework on the debate I had no idea what it meant. I could tell from the context of the sentence that it was not a positive word but to fully understand the information of the sentence I had to look it up.

 Adj - Obedient or attentive to a servile or excessive degree Funnily enough, this word was found in the definition of another word, Adulation, which means obsequious flattery; excessive admiration. 

  Effervescence (Noun) formation of gas bubbles in a liquid by a chemical reaction “When the rate of effervescence has slowed considerably, bring the beaker back to your lab station, gently warm the solution with a hot plate (do not boil)” Chemistry lab procedure When I came across this word on the procedure for a chemistry lab in class, I did not know what observation I was to take note of. I was intrigued by this word because I did not know there was a term that defines the specific bubbles that are produced in a solution when a gas is produced. Now I can use this word to be more precise about the type of bubbles produced in any chemical reaction.

Dub: (Verb) to give an unofficial name to (someone or something) “Protest organizers dubbed  the event “Indigenous People’s Day of Rage”, in response to Monday’s federal holiday named after the 15th-century Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, a polarizing figure who Native American advocates say spurred centuries of genocide against indigenous populations.” - From a news article about Indigenous People’s Day I chose this word because it stuck out to me as a word I have barely heard in context before, and it was inside of an article that teaches about Indigenous People’s Day. Protest organizers had to name the protesting event with rage towards Columbus day, because he did not perform the best actions towards Native Americans. It is important to note that this day can be also dubbed as the other side of the story, the indigenous people who deserve a day to flaunt their culture and tradition.

  Chromatic (adj.) (in music) relating to or using notes not belonging to the diatonic scale of the key in which a passage is written. "The chromatic scale or twelve-tone scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone above or below its adjacent pitches. As a result, in 12-tone equal temperament, the chromatic scale covers all 12 of the available pitches. Thus, there is only one chromatic scale." From music lesson article This is an interesting concept that can be very useful in musical soloing (especially Jazz) that I first learned about playing piano 9 years ago. I've recently revisited this as I've tried to apply it to guitar scales. 

 Referendum (N) - A general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision "We favor a system of direct legislation through the initiative and referendum, under proper Constitutional safeguards" - history reading. I chose this word for Week 3 because it reminded me of the election that is coming up.

Insurrectionists: (N) A person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority (especially in the hope of improving conditions) freedom fighter, insurgent, rebel. “The commitment of another type of rebellious slave was total; these men became killers, arsonists, and insurrectionists .” --- History Questions Before I state why I chose this word, I would like to make it apparent that insurrectionists can be good and bad. In the quote, they are most definitely good. Another example of good insurrectionists would be protesters. Making that explicit, I chose this word because it reminded me of the recent news story where a group of 13 white supremacists attempted to kidnap the governor of Michigan. They created a plan to either knock on her door and "just cap her" or to create a diversion using a bomb then kidnap her. After kidnapping her they would take her to a “secure location” in Wisconsin for a “trial” in which they would most likely kill her. News Stor...

 (N) prescience everywhere or in many places especially simultaneously “the images of real mothers and their real sons do not to pick tea de rather they capture the constancy and ubiquity of that fear” (National Geographic magazine October 2020 Edition  I chose this work because I thought the way it was pronounced and spelled was interesting, and it was the most interesting word of the 10 I had for this week

Effervescence is a noun, and according to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means: " “ the property of forming bubbles” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effervescence I n chemistry, we were examining the copper cycle, in which one of the reactions is between a zinc solid and aqueous copper solution. In a lab practical report, my teacher had given us directions after examining this reaction, writing: “When the rate of effervescence has slowed considerably, bring the beaker back to your lab station; gently warm the solution with a hotplate (do not boil).” I chose this word because it truly highlights how English and S.T.E.M. subjects are interdisciplinary studies; both subjects teach me new words I can apply in my daily life, and both subjects teach me information that helps me learn better in the other. 

  Peroration (Noun) the concluding part of a speech, typically intended to inspire enthusiasm in the audience “In his peroration, Harlan replied to Bradley’s comment that [black Americans] had been made ‘a special favorite of the law’” Article by Alan F. Westin - history assignment I chose to use this word in the blog because initially I did not know such a word existed to define the ending of a motivational speech. I thought I was interesting that there are more words that can be used to define the end of a speech other than conclusion. 

Magnum opus: (Noun) A large and important work of art, music, or literature, especially one regarded as the most important work of an artist or writer. “Not everyone can have Nick Knight direct his magnum opus, as Maison Margiela did, or send a giant beautiful keepsake box packed with goods evoking the collection’s atmosphere, like Jonathan Anderson did for Loewe.” (found in an article about fashion week) I choose this word because I thought it sounded strange and fancy. Magnum opus is a Latin word meaning “great work”. I thought it was interesting how the writer used a Latin word to put emphasis on the importance of the work of art.

Flouting: (verb) the act of  openly disregarding (a rule, law or convention). On Sunday, the debate’s moderator, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, demanded answers from the Trump campaign for flouting the debate host’s rules – especially in light of Friday’s news that both the president and first lady Melania Trump later tested positive for the coronavirus. - Recent news on the President's Coronavirus diagnosis. The first thing that comes to my mind when learning the definition of flouting is all the people that disregard the use of masks. Masks are very important to wear during this time, so flouting to wear a mask could be a phrase that would be used often. Plus it's a fun word to say that sounds like pouting.

 Unfathomable: (Adj) incapable of being fully explored or understood “‘The 4 million mark in unfathomable. It boggles the mind, and it takes your breath away’” (News Article talking about the biggest wildfire in California yet) Throughout all of the unfortunate news on TV, one of the most depressing topics comes from the wildfires in California. The word unfathomable sounds as if it is describing something too big to be measured, or something one is in awe of. Wildfires spread and spread, and sometimes cannot be stopped, or cannot be fully understood by how they occurred in the first place. This word is an important reminder of showing how incapable we are of stopping these destructive wild fires unless we work together to find the start of the problem.

Illicit (adj): forbidden by law, rules, or custom “... his experiences with such associations were for ‘Illicit Purposes” - History Document

 Quagmire: (noun) an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation "If anything goes wrong with that we are in an ethical and legal quagmire." (Grey's Anatomy episode) I decided to choose this word because it really stood out to me in the dialogue of the show. It sounded interesting and I was curious as to what it meant. I had also never heard it being used before, so it sounded odd and sort of out of place to me. Because it sounded out of place, I was really interested in finding its meaning. 

  Loafing : (v)  idle one's time away, typically by aimless wandering or loitering. “Social loafing can occur when people acting as part of a group feel less accountable, and therefore worry less about what others think.” (Psychology Textbook) I am taking Psychology this year and many of these concepts are interesting to me. I learned that the three ways that social loafing happens is when people acting as part of a group feel less accountable, group members think their individual contributions aren’t needed, and when group members share equally in the benefits, regardless of how much they contribute.

Annuity: (N) A specified, fixed sum of money that an individual receives each year of their life "Many people explore the benefits of annuities as a way to save their money for when they retire" (conversation with my sister, Anika). With my new understanding of this word I hope to be able to talk to my sister more about her finance class at college. In addition, my knowledge on finance is deepened.

Precipitously: (adverb) meaning very steeply, or drastic change,  “The assertion by President Trump’s doctors that he could be discharged from the hospital as early as Monday astonished outside infectious-disease experts, who said he remains in a dangerous period of vulnerability when some COVID-19 patients decline precipitously and require urgent intervention,” (Prospect of Trump’s early hospital discharge mystifies doctors, Washington Post ). I chose this word because I found it while reading one of the many articles that have been reporting on Trump's recent hospitalization, and I felt that it was relevant to today.

  Ubiquitous (adj) Present, found, or appearing everywhere. “Water is such a ubiquitous chemical in chemistry...” This word was used in chemistry earlier this week. Mr Knittel was explaining that we should know certain values (such as enthalpy of formation) since it is such a common chemical, especially in combustion reactions. I'm actually pretty sure this is the first time I have heard this word.

  Deindividuation (n.) a concept in social psychology that is generally thought of as the loss of self-awareness in groups "This process of losing self-awareness and self restraint, called deindividuation , often occurs when group participation makes people both aroused and anonymous." From Psychology textbook reading I thought this related to the "mob mentality" that is so talked about in English class and in literature ( To Kill a Mockingbird , Huckleberry Finn , etc.). Being in a group sometimes causes violent and irrational actions because of the arousal of the crowd and the loss of identity. 

 Ignominious - adj: deserving or causing public disgrace or shame  “It tried to get into the smartphone business, first on its own and then by buying Nokiam, and eventually beat an ignominious retreat” - The Guardian article  I chose this word for week 2 because it reminded me of when you go to a public place during COVID-19 and you see someone without a mask on, and I thought that this word was a good way to describe that action because everyone looks at them and is disappointed in them. 

  Mandate: n. An official order or commission to do something. "I'll get rid of the individual mandate" -Donald Trump I chose this word because I heard it in the presidential debate, which has been a big topic of discussion for the past several days.

Assimilation  Noun -the process of adopting the language and culture of a dominant social group or nation, or the state of being socially integrated into the culture of the dominant group in a society -officially attach or connect (a subsidiary group or a person) to an organization “The adjustment for immigrant workers was not so much a process of assimilation as adaptation and resistance.”-History Book

 P ortentous: (Adj) Of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner so as to impress. Portent (N): A sign or warning that something, especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen. " Probably no ship in modem history has carried a more portentous freight.” - History Questions. I chose this word because Halloween is right around the corner and portentous is a very ominous word. This word also reminds me of The First Purge due to the meaning of the word. Overall I think that the word sounds perfect for Halloween and is a great word to add into a sentence to foreshadow something bad happening.