The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate (45 page)

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Authors: Eugene Ehrlich

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XYZ

Xanthippe
(zan-TIP-ee)
noun
, also given as
Xantippe

a shrew, especially a shrewish wife; a scold.

yahoo
(YAH-hoo)
noun, plural
yahoos

1. a coarse or brutish person; a lout.

2. a philistine; a yokel.

Related word:
yahooism
(YAH-hoo-iz-
e
m)
noun
.

yarmulke
(YAHR-m
e
l-k
e
)
noun
, also given as
yarmelke
and
yarmulka
, with the same pronunciation

a skullcap worn by male Orthodox and Conservative Jews, especially in a synagogue and during prayers.

yclept
(ee-KLEPT)
adjective

called (by the name of).

yeasty
(YEE-stee)
adjective

1. tasting of yeast.

2. frothy, foamy.

3. light and superficial; frivolous.

4. very enthusiastic or joyful.

Related words:
yeastily
(YEE-sti-lee)
adverb
,
yeastiness
noun
.

zealot
(ZEL-
e
t)
noun

1. a zealous person.

2. a fanatic.

Related word:
zealotry
(ZEL-
e
-tree)
noun
.

zealous
(ZEL-
e
s)
adjective

1. full of fervor for a person, a cause, or an object.

2. devoted, diligent.

Related words:
zealously
adverb
,
zealousness
noun
.

Zeitgeist
(TS
I
T-
G
I
ST
)
noun
, German

the trend of thought and feeling in a period of time.

zucchetto
(zoo-KET-oh)
noun, plural
zucchettos
or
zucchetti
(zoo-KET-ee)

in the Roman Catholic Church, an ecclesiastical skullcap, black for a priest, violet for a bishop, red for a cardinal, and white for the pope.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Rob Amell, of HarperCollins, by his never-failing courtesy, encouragement, and cooperation, helped the editor of this dictionary accomplish his work and earned his gratitude.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eugene Ehrlich, formerly a member of the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, is the coeditor of
The Oxford American Dictionary
and the author of dozens of books, including
Veni, Vidi, Vici
and the classic bestseller
Amo, Amas, Amat and More.
The entire
Highly Selective
series is available from PerfectBound ebooks, which includes:
The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate; The Highly Selective Thesaurus for the Extraordinarily Literate;
and
The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily Literate.
He lives in Mamaroneck, New York.

By Eugene Ehrlich

T
HE
H
IGHLY
S
ELECTIVE
D
ICTIONARY OF
G
OLDEN
A
DJECTIVES
FOR THE
E
XTRAORDINARILY
L
ITERATE

T
HE
H
IGHLY
S
ELECTIVE
T
HESAURUS FOR THE
E
XTRAORDINARILY
L
ITERATE

T
HE
H
IGHLY
S
ELECTIVE
D
ICTIONARY FOR THE
E
XTRAORDINARILY
L
ITERATE

A
MO
, A
MAS
, A
MAT AND
M
ORE

V
ENI
, V
IDI
, V
ICI

L
ES
B
ON
M
OTS

T
HE
I
NTERNATIONAL
T
HESAURUS OF
Q
UOTATIONS
(
WITH
M
ARSHALL
D
E
B
RUHL
)

T
HE
H
ARPER
D
ICTIONARY OF
F
OREIGN
T
ERMS
, 3
^RDE
DITION

Credits

THE HIGHLY SELECTIVE DICTIONARY FOR THE EXTRAORDINARILY LITERATE.
Copyright © 1997 by Eugene Ehrlich. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of PerfectBound™.

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Mobipocket Reader December 2003 ISBN: 0-0607-6702-2