Personal Vocabulary

Volition

Using one's own will to make a decision.

Arpeggio

Spreading a chord over time as if it were a melody. Ex: Playing C-E-G-C separately instead of together.

Affinity

A strong and close connection between people, things, or concepts.

Gamut

A range or series of related things.

Tenuous

Flimsy, weak, or uncertain.

Emblazon

To decorate something with a name, slogan, or picture.

Hale

Good or exceptional health.

Envy

Wanting something that someone else has that you do not.

Jealousy

Concern about losing something you already possess to someone else.

Cherubim

Mighty guardians of God’s presence. They typically have four heads from a lion, eagle, oxen, and human.

Self-Righteousness

The idea that one can earn moral goodness, favor, or spiritual standing through one's own efforts and commitment to rules rather than relying on grace. Often associated with self-justification, pride, arrogance, and lack of empathy.

Adherence

Attachment or commitment to a person, cause, or belief.

Enmity

The state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.

Contend

Struggle to overcome.

Ziggurat

A religious building that has a flat top and is a gate for God to come down and receive worship. This concept may be controversial because this building implies that God needs worship.

Gelding

A castrated male horse.

Bridle

The headgear around a horse's head that the reins attach to.

Pugilist

Someone who physically fights another for sport.

The Five Stages of Grief

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.

Sexual Dimorphism

Different genders of a species display different physical builds and behaviors.

Alloparenting

Parenting done by anyone other than the biological parents, aka "It takes a village."

Egalitarian

All people are equal.

Consciousness

Awareness of oneself and one's surroundings.

Default Network

Parts of the brain that activate when we are not required to focus or concentrate on a task. Low-level brain activity.

Daydreaming

Focusing attention on one's thoughts and feelings by mentally separating themself from their surroundings.

Positive-Constructive Daydreaming

Very creative and imaginative thinking that may be inspirational or foster creativity. It is useful for planning and/or goal setting and allows the brain to separate from itself from external responsibilities.

Guilty-Dysphoria Daydreaming

Undesirable, negative thoughts and feelings, such as fear, guilt, and anger. These daydreams, along with obsessive, hostile, or violent thoughts, are a sign of neurosis.

Poor Attention Control

Self-explanatory. It does not always involve daydreaming, but instead is associated with difficulty concentrating on a task or train of thought.

Rumination

An obsessive thought or worry.

Visualization

Using mental imagery, or imagination, as a tool, typically of a desire.

Escapism

A result of frustration or boredom with reality, but also a way of coping with distress.

Fantasy

A train of thought following an event that is unlikely to happen or not grounded in reality. Most of these thoughts have a purpose, such as distraction, entertainment, or sexual arousal.

Executive Network

The part of the brain that deals with advanced problem-solving operations. It is used when the brain is focused on external tasks.

Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Allows us to visualize images.

Posterior Cingulate Cortex

Activates when we are planning or allows us to access our memories of social interactions that makeup one's identity/self.

Parietal Cortex

Allows us to access memories of specific events and experiences that are stored in the hippocampus.

Maladaptive Daydreaming

A type of daydreaming that has become compulsive and interferes with a person's daily life. It is not part of the DSM-V and does not have a formal diagnosis or treatment.

Inadvertently

On accident, without intention.

Neurosis

A mild disorder associated with stress. Often appears as depression, anxiety, obsession, or hypochondria.

Hypochondria

Now formally classified as Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD). A mental health condition in which someone has an obsessed and unwanted fear of having or developing a serious medical illness. Those with IAD often misconstrue symptoms of insignificant illnesses as severe illnesses.

Misonstrue

To interpret incorrectly.

Compulsive

The urge to perform repetitive tasks in order to relieve stress and anxiety.

Infer

Deduce or conclude from evidence and reasoning, not explicit statements.

Symbiosis

Any relationship or interaction between two living things of different species.

Host

The organism that harbors or lives in association with the other.

Symbiont

The organism that lives on, inside, or in association with the other.

Mutualism

Both species benefit from the other.

Commensalism

One species lives with, on, or in another. The host does not benefit, but is not harmed, either.

Parasitic

The symbiont (parasite) lives on or inside the host and causes harm over time.

Competition

Two or more organisms fighting over the same, limited, resources. They can be of the same species (intraspecific), or two completely unrelated ones (interspecific).

Syncretism

The mixing of religions, cultures, or schools of thought.

Cavalcade

Refers to a series of of related things.

Assiduous

To show great care, attention, and effort.

Longueur

A boring part of something, such as a book or play. It is typical used in its plural form.

Indomitable

Used to describe something impossible to defeat or to discourage

Acquiesce

To accept, agree with, or allow to happen by staying silent or without arguing.

Wifty

Describes something or someone very silly or scatterbrained

Eccentric

Departing from what is usual

Blandishments

Nice things one says or does to convince someone to do something.

Saturnine

Describes people who are glum or grumpy or things that express gloom. Or, slow to act/change

Foible

Minor flaws in someone’s character

Deleterious

Describes something that is damaging or harmful in subtle, unexpected ways.

Accoutrement

Clothing or equipment that is used in a specific place or for a specific activity.

Valedictory

Describes something expressing/containing a farewell

Interloper

An unwanted person who intrudes a place or sphere of activity.

Redolent

Something that has a noticeable smell without specifying the scent. It is usually follow by “with” or “of.”

Engender

To be the source/cause of something.

Crux

The most important part of something. It is typically followed by, “of.”

Palatable

Something that has a pleasant taste or is acceptable to someone.

Miasma

An unpleasant smell or atmosphere.

Maelstrom

A whirlpool or state of confused/violent movement.

Schema

The background knowledge your brain has about the world.

Schema Activation

Bringing relevant background knowledge from long-term memory into working memory.

Scintillating

Shining brightly or very clever/skillful.

Preemptive

To disable an enemy in order to prevent an attack from them.

Reprimand

To express extreme disapproval, especially legally/officially.

Rebuke

To express criticism because of their behavior or actions.