This week's words:
Lesser Known:
Propitious: pro•pi•tious - adj
1: Favorably disposed: Benevolent
2. Being a good omen: Auspicious
3. Tending to favor : Advantageous
"Now is a propitious time to start a business"
Uncommon Form:
Decrepitude: de•crip•i•tude - noun
1. The quality or state of being decrepit
"The house has fallen into decrepitude"
Decrepit: de•crip•it - adj
1: Wasted and weakened by or as if by the infirmities of old age
2: A) Impaired by use or wear: Worn-out, B) Fallen into ruin or disrepair
3: Dilapidated; Run-down
"My decrepit car barely starts."
Under-Used:
Gargantuan: gar•gan•tuan - adj - tremendous in size, volume, or degree
Interesting etymology: First known use: 1596. From Gargantua, a giant with a very large appetite in Francios Rabelais' La vie inestimable du grand Gargantua ("The Inestimable Life of the Great Gargantua"), one of "a connected series of five novels... [which tells] the story of two giants, a father (Gargantua) and his son (Pantagruel) and their adventures, written in an amusing, extravagant, satirical vein." The name Gargantua was likely derived from Garagantesi, an Egyptian hieroglyph translated as "gourd, pumpkin".
Sources: Merriam-Webster.com; Britannica.com; Wiktionary; Wikipedia; and the Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Part 2, by E.A. Wallis Budge.
I would like to personally challenge you to use one (or all) of these words in the next week. If you do so, return here to tell us how it went!
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