Use the links next to the caption "Cool Words" to view past cool words.

These are the words you could find on this page:
Amortize, Apotropaic, Baroque, Blarney, Bon vivant, Cake, Credo, Eldritch, Esquire, Pullulate

Amortize [v. AM-ur-tize or uh-MOR-tize]
To amortize is to pay something off, normally a debt, by making regular payments over time. Near synonyms include settle, liquidate, and pay off. In accounting, to amortize an expense means to break it up into multiple smaller expenses over time, even if the actual payment was made all at once.
Amortize literally means to destroy or kill, and has been used in English since the late 1300s. The Middle English amortisen came from the Old French amortiss, which was a variant on amortir (to kill, die). The French can be traced back to the Vulgar Latin amortire, which was a derivative of the Latin mort (death).
Back to Top

Apotropaic [adj. ap-uh-tro-PAY-ik]
An apotropaic object is one that is meant to ward off evil. Examples include good luck charms and talismans.
In the sixth century B.C., the Greeks used to paint apotropaic eyes on the cups that they drank from. The large eyes were thought to prevent dangerous spirits from entering a person's mouth while they drank from the cup.
Apotropaic entered the English language in the 1880s. It is from the Greek apotropai (to turn away, avert evil), from the roots apo- (off) and trope (to turn).
Back to Top

Baroque [adj. buh-ROKE, ba-ROKE or ba-ROCK]
In the 17th century, Baroque was a style of artistic expression marked by its juxtaposition of contrasting elements. Painting, sculpture, architecture, and music described as Baroque often use complex forms and bold ornamentation.
In its day, the baroque style was a much admired standard. Today, the word is often used to describe something that is ornamental to an extravagant or bizarre degree.
Baroque can also be used to describe an irregularly shaped gem. This meaning is closest to the word's roots. In the 1700s, baroque was borrowed from the French, which in turn was derived from the Portuguese barroco (a pearl of irregular shape).
Back to Top

Blarney [n. or v. BLAR-nee]
More than just the name of an Irish village, blarney also means smooth, flattering talk. Near synonyms include flattery, cajolery, sweet talk, fawning, and blandishment.
Blarney is a word from the late 18th century. It is said that the owner of the Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland didn't want to peacefully surrender his castle to Queen Elizabeth. He prolonged the surrender with flattery, persuading those involved to delay the take over for month after month. Blarney came to be associated with persuasively soft speech.
The verb sense of blarney is to flatter or deceive with blarney.
Back to Top

Bon vivant [n. BAWN vee-VAHN]
A bon vivant is a person who is devoted to the finer things in life, especially good food and drink. Example: "She enjoyed visiting her uncle the bon vivant, who always provided fine wine and plenty of rich foods."
Bon vivant is a French phrase combining bon (good or favorable) and vivant (living, healthy, animated). Vivant is the present participle of the French verb vivre (to live).
Near synonyms include epicure and gourmand.
Back to Top

Cake [n. KAKE]
These days, a cake is a sweet baked food usually containing flour, sugar, eggs, and flavoring. In the 13th century, however, cake was a flat, round loaf of bread.
It wasn't until the 15th century that cake was associated with its modern definition. The word is from the Old Norse kaka, which is related to cookie (from the Dutch koekje), but not, as is sometimes believed, to the word cook.
Cake can also mean a shaped or molded mass of food. Or a compressed mass of something else such as a cake of soap. This word can also be used as a verb describing the action of forming something into a cake.
Back to Top

Credo [n. KREE-doh or KRAE-doh]
Your credo is your system of beliefs or principles. Near synonyms include creed, tenet, belief, dogma, and doctrine. Example: "He espoused a simple credo at the office, telling his workers that 'there's no I in team.'"
Credo is often capitalized when it is used to mean The Apostles' Creed (associated with a confession for those baptized in Christianity) or the Nicene Creed (used in the Lutheran and Episcopalian Churches).
Credo is a Latin word, which translates to "I believe," the first two words of the Apostles' and Nicene creeds. Credo is derived from the Latin verb credere (to believe).
Other English words that stem from the Latin credere include:
* credible (capable of being believed)
* credence (something that establishes a claim to belief)
* credulous (wiling to believe or trust too readily)
* credential (anything that provides basis for belief)
Back to Top

Eldritch [adj. EL-drich]
Eldritch means unearthly, frightful, or hideous. Example: "The cemetery had an eldritch atmosphere once the sun had set." Near synonyms include weird, spooky, eerie, and unnatural.
Eldritch was first used in the 1500s. While this word's origins are unclear, there are two explanations that are commonly offered. The first is that eldritch is an Old English compound of el- (foreign, strange) and riche (kingdom, land). A second explanation sees the origins in the words elf and riche. Eldritch would have meant something from a fairyland and therefore supernatural.
Back to Top

Esquire [n. ESS-kwiur or e-SKWIUR]
Esquire (abbreviated Esq.) is a title of respect usually used only in formal written correspondence. In the United States, it is chiefly applied to lawyers (both women and men) but in the United Kingdom it can be widely used as a courtesy title for professional gentlemen. An esquire is also a man belonging to the English gentry ranking directly below a knight.
Ultimately derived from the Latin word scutanus (shield bearer), esquire used to mean a young man aspiring to the knighthood who would attend to a knight, carrying his shield and performing other duties. Today, we simply call such a man a squire.
Back to Top

Pullulate [v. PULL-yuh-late]
To pullulate is to grow, sprout, or spring forth. This verb can describe the blossoming of a seed, plant, or animal. Near synonyms include bud, burgeon, and germinate.
Livings things can also pullulate by breeding or increasing rapidly. To spring up abundantly or produce freely is to pullulate.
This verb also means to swarm or teem. Example: "Her mind pullulated with big ideas after she won the lottery."
Pullulate comes from the Latin pullutas, a past participle of the verb pullulare (to sprout), which is related to the Latin pullus (a sprout or young animal). Pullus has also produced the English words poultry and pullet (a young fowl).
Back to Top