APLIT vocab 1

ikigai

DEFINITION:

● noun

● a person’s reason for

being

ORIGIN

iki, meaning “life, living,

being alive,” and kai, meaning

“worth, value, benefit.”

raison d'être

noun

● the most important reason

or purpose for something

or someone’s existence.

French where it

literally translates as “reason for

being.”

USAGE

When spelling it in English the

circumflex is optional. The

apostrophe after the “d” is a

must in English or French

though

dichotomy

n o u n

a division or contrast

between two things

ORIGIN: This starts in

Greek where dikho means

"in two parts" and tomia

means "to cut."

juxtaposition

n o u n

the examination of two

things or ideas placed

close together resulting

in an effect of contrast

ORIGIN: The Latin prefix

juxta- means "near." It is also

the origin of the word "joust,"

which is a Medieval form of

combat or sport

fathom

● (noun) a unit of depth equal

to about six feet

● (verb, archaic) to measure

the depth of water using a

lead line marked in six-foot

increments.

● (verb, figuratively) to

understand a difficult problem

after thinking it through as in

“unfathomable.”

From the Old English word fæthm

which basically meant “two arms

outstretched.”

delve

(verb) to dig into the ground

or to reach into a container in

order to pull something out

● (verb, figuratively) - to do

extensive research on a

subject.

From the Old English world delfan

which means “to dig.“

crone

an old woman who is thin and

ugly.

from Middle Dutch, old

Northern French, late Middle

English and other medieval

Western European languages. It’s

related to words for dead bodies

like ‘carrion’ and ‘carcass.’

spinster

DEFINITION:

● (derogatory) an unmarried

woman, typically an older

woman beyond the usual age

for marriage.

The idea is

that an older, unmarried woman

would have to provide for herself

because she doesn’t have a

husband to provide for her.

metonymy

DEFINITION:

● noun

● a figurative device where

a single associated

element of something is

used to stand for the

larger concept.

synecdoche

DEFINITION:

● noun

● a figurative device where

a part of a thing is used to

represent the whole thing.

● a more specific form of

metonymy

caesura

DEFINITION:

● noun

● a figurative device that

creates a pause within a

line of poetry, often

marked by punctuation,

such as a comma, dash, or

period.

Usage: Poets use caesura to

mimic the pauses of natural

speech, add emphasis to certain

words or phrases, and create a

rhythmic or dramatic effect.

enjambment

DEFINITION:

● noun

● a figurative device where a

sentence or thought runs over

from one poetic line to the

next without a pause or break

at the line ending. There is no

punctuation at the end of the

line.

Usage: Poets use enjambment to

create a sense of movement, speed

up the pace, or force readers to keep

going to the next line to understand

the meaning.

sanguine

DEFINITION:

● adjective

● optimistic or positive

● especially in an

apparently bad or

difficult situation

SYNONYMS: optimistic,

hopeful

ORIGIN: Ancient, scholars

believed that a person’s mood

and illnesses were all

determined by the balance of

bodily fluids that they called

“the humors.”

phlegmatic

DEFINITION:

● adjective

● describing a person with

an unemotional and

calm disposition.

SYNONYMS: calm, cool,

composed

ORIGIN: Just like sanguine,

phlegmatic comes from belief

in the humors. If you had a

predominance of phlegm in

your body it made you behave

or feel calm and unaffected

choleric

DEFINITION:

● adjective

● bad-tempered or irritable

● especially quick to anger

or easily provoked

SYNONYMS: irritable,

hot-headed, quick-tempered

ORIGIN: Just like sanguine,

choleric comes from belief in

the humors. This comes from

the Greek kholē meaning

“bile.” An excess of yellow

bile was thought to make a

person fiery, easily angered,

and prone to bursts of temper.

melancholic

DEFINITION:

● adjective

● feeling or expressing

deep sadness or gloom

especially in a

thoughtful, lingering, or

reflective way.

SYNONYMS: gloomy,

despondent, sorrowful

ORIGIN: This comes from the

Greek melas meaning “black”

and kholē meaning “bile.” An

excess of black bile in the body

was thought to make a person

prone to sadness, reflection,

and a somber temperament