meeting - the different kinds

Today I happen to search for a synonym for the word “meeting”, for a group description in facebook and I wanted a really catching word for meeting. When I looked through the synonyms at dictionary I found there are lots of options but each one was unique. I remember those days of being a copy editor, when we used to find people just replacing a word with its synonym but not worrying to check whether the meaning remains appropriate. Hence, in addition to “words of the day” which I have been posting in this blog for long, I wanted to add another category “the different kinds” under “Learning English“. Here comes my first post, different kinds of “meetings”,

assemblage, noun - a group of persons gathered or collected in one place; the social act of assembling.

assembly, noun - coming together of number of persons for a particular purpose, mostly religious, social or political.

clambake, noun - a picnic or social gathering at the seashore at which clams and other sea foods are baked; a very noisy social gathering.

conclave, noun - a private or secret meeting; a gathering that has special authority, power or influence; the body of cardinals.

concourse, noun - assembling in a huge open ground; an area for sports or related gathering; an act of running or coming together.

conference, noun - a meeting for consultation and discussion; exchange of views among a large gathering; an assembly of consultation mostly with a formal agenda.

confluence, noun - a coming together of people, thronging, similar to flowing together of two or more streams.

confrontation, noun - a meeting of persons face to face; an open conflict of opposing ideas; a clash of groups with opposing interests or beliefs.

congregation, noun - an assembly of people brought together for common religious worship.

congress, noun - a formal meeting or assembly of representatives, for the discussion on matters of common interest.

conjunction, noun - the state of being conjoined or united; a combination of events or circumstances.

convergence, noun - two or more groups coming together at a point.

convention, noun - a formal assembly for deciding action on something or for making agreements; a general agreement generally accepted as a standard by all related parties;

encounter, noun - to come upon or meet unexpectedly; unexpected meeting of conflicting parties; to meet with or content against.

engagement, noun - an appointment; an arrangement to meet; betrothal; getting occupied with something.

get-together, noun - an informal, small social gathering.

huddle, verb - to gather in close mass; ,noun - a closely gathered group.

juxtaposition, noun - the state of being close together, side by side.

nooner, noun - an activity undertaken during lunch hour, mostly a sexual encounter.

parley, noun - an informal conference between enemies under a truce.

quickie, noun - a short time encounter, mostly for a drink or a hurried sexual activity.

rendezvous, noun - an agreement between a few people to meet at a certain time and place; meeting of two or more space crafts in the outer space; ,verb - to assemble at an agreed time and place.

reunion, noun - a gathering of relatives, friends or associates at a location, after a separation.

tryst, noun - an appointment to meet someone at a certain place and time, mostly secretly by lovers.

sit-in, noun - an organized passive protest, where a group of people peacefully occupy a premises and refuse to leave.

turnout ,noun - the gathering of persons who come to an exhibition or party.

union, noun - a number of persons joined or associated together for some common purpose.

Words of the day - 16

As an advent of getting this month’s RD, here are some more words into my list.

chafe : verb : to become annoyed or irritated.

reticent : adjective : uncommunicative; reserved.

modicum : noun : moderate, token amount.

minion : noun : follower; subordinate.

foment : verb : to instigate; to promote the growth of.

middling : adjective : ordinary; mediocre.

ascertain : verb : to find out definitely.

proponent : noun : advocate; adherent.

contemplate : verb : to observe thoughtfully.

austere : adjective : stern or severe in appearance.

fractious : adjective : unruly; quarrelsome.

raucous : adjective : harsh; rough-sounding.

piedmont : noun : area along or near the base of a mountain region.

mercenary : adjective : motivated solely by monetary or material gain.

Words of the day - 15 (Aussie Slangs)

For a difference, I would like to post some commonly used slangs from the land of Kangaroos. The original source of the slangs is australian explorer.

Ace! : excellent

Arvo : afternoon

Big Mobs : loads, a lot of

Blue : argument/mistake

Bodgy : poor quality

Bull dust : rubbish

Cark it : to die, stop working

Chocka : full up

Click : kilometer

Come a gutser : a bad mistake or have an accident

Cost big bikkies : expensive, cost a hell

Dinkum : fair, genuine, true

Docket : receipt, bill

Doco : Documentary

Drink with the flies : drink alone

Dunny rat : cunning

Exy : expensive

Fair go : a chance / break

Furphy : rumour

Give it a burl : try it, have a go

Give it away : give up

Good oil : good idea, useful information

Good onya : well done

It’s gone walkabout : it’s lost, can’t be found

Kick the bucket : to die

Mate’s rate : cheaper rate for a friend, discount

Nun’s nasty : very dry

Piece of piss : easy task

Pig’s arse : I don’t agree

Rack off : get lost, get out of here

Reckon! : for sure

Rooted : broken, ruined

She’ll be apples : it will be alright

Strewth : exclamation

Stoked : very pleased

Zack : not worth of anything

Words of the Day - 14

One of my friends had a couple of words in the status message she had in the messenger. Though I know what they meant, wanted to know more about them. Here are the outcomes,

mundane : adjective : worldly, earthly, belonging to this world; common, ordinary, day-to-day.

Common usage : mundane life - routine life, mundane affairs - worldly affairs.

monotonous : adjective : unchanging, lack of variety;  continuing on one note; boring, dull, uninteresting; spoken in an unvarying tone.

Common usage : monotonous scenery, monotonous rhythm, monotonous TV show.

Words of the Day - 13

Time for updates from this month’s RD, some ‘ad’ words.

adage : verb : proverb; a traditional saying.

advent : noun : arrival of; beginning of; coming of;

adept : adjective : skilled.

adamant : adjective : unyielding or inflexible.

adverse : adjective : highly opposed to; not in favor of.

adherent : noun : supporter; compliant.

admonition : noun : advice in warning tone.

adduce : verb : to cite an example in favor of an argument.

adulterate : verb : made impure by adding additives.

advertent : adjective : attentive; watchful.

ad hoc : adjective : targeted on a specific purpose or result.

adjunct : adjective : temporarily associated with.

addle : verb : to confuse or muddle.

adumbrate : verb : give a brief outline or sketch.

Words of the Day - 12

Trying to clear of all the words under pending for months.

intimidate : verb : to fill with fear; to force something by inducing fear.

xenophobic : noun : a fear of strangers without any reason.

coercion : noun : use of force to comply or deny.

idiosyncrasies : noun : a peculiar characteristic, habit or mentality to an individual.

reminiscences : noun : revival or recollection of memory; act of recalling past experiences.

Synonym : memoir, memory, recollection, anecdote, reminder.

naive : adjective : absence of artificiality; unaffected simplicity; unsophisticated; lack of experience or expertise.

perpetual : adjective : everlasting; never ending; continued without interruption.

cobbled : verb : to mend; to put it together roughly.

ebullience : noun : high spirits; exuberance; exhilaration; overflow.

frivolity : noun : lack of seriousness; carefree attitude; irresponsible.

Words of the Day - 11

After a long break, here I come with a small dose of new words

pragmatic : Adjective : pertaining to practical views and considerations.

sway :  Verb : to swing from one point to another, being fixed at one point; to incline or fluctuate in opinion; influence others to move in a specific way; to dominate or rule other’s opinion.

eccentric : Adjective / Noun : (A) to deviate from customary practices; (N) unusual, peculiar, odd personality.

pristine : Adjective : uncorrupted; preserving its originality; pertaining to earliest state or time.

renegade : Noun : someone who deserts a cause for another; betrayer; traitor.

cretinous : Noun : a mentally defective person; a stupid or idiot.

perspicacity : Noun : keen vision, shrewdness, insight.

misanthrope : Noun : one who hate/mistrust/dislike human kind.

misogynist : Noun : one who hate/mistrust/dislike women.

Words of the Day - 10

After a long break, here I am back…

spartan : Adjective : marked by simplicity; avoidance of luxury.

asphyxiate : Verb :  breathing interruption caused by lack of oxygen.

acardian : Adjective : idyllically pastoral, innocent or simple.

tautological : Adjective : redundant; containing  needless repetitions.

euphoric : Adjective : elated.

fiasco : Noun : complete or humilating failure.

crescendo : Noun : climax; peak of a gradual increase; peak of loudness or intensity.

gusto : Noun : vigorous enjoyment; relish;

canard : Noun : false or baseless report; rumour.

Words of the Day - 9

angst : Noun : fear or anxious feeling.

hinterland : Noun : a remote place, far away from the coast or a city.

blitz : Verb: a swift attack by air.

pilsner : Noun : a light beer with a strong hops flavour.

schmaltzy : Adjective : over sentimental.

spiel : Verb : speaking rapidly and extravagantly.

wunderkind : Noun : a child prodigy.

verboten : Adjective : forbidden.

putsch : Noun : political revolt

torte : Noun : a cake made of breadcrumbs and nuts.

kaffeeklatsch : Noun : an informal gathering accompanied by coffee.

doppelganger : Noun : look alike of a person.

ersatz : Adjective : artificial, inferior sustitute.

zeitgeist : Noun : trend; cultural spirit.

schadenfreude : Noun : pleasure on other’s misfortune.

Words of the Day - 8

Back, after a long time, here comes a dose of English words.

acrimonious : Adjective : caustic; stinging; bitter in nature.

Variants: acrimoniously (adverb), acrimoniousness (noun).

petulant : Adjective : showing sudden, impatient irritation.

Variants: petulantly (adverb).

Synonyms: irritable, peevish, fretful, touchy.

farting : Verb : fooling around; fritter time away.

Variants: (noun) fart - audible discharge of intestinal gas.

contempt : Noun : feeling of considering everything to be mean and worthless; state of being dishonored or despised; act of showing disrespect.

Synonyms: aversion, despite, disesteem, disregard, indignity, malice, ridicule, scorn.

yank : Verb : remove or pull vigorously or abruptly.

Synonyms: pull, pluck, tear.

alibi : Noun : an excuse from blame :: verb : to give an excuse, to make use of something to get out or rid of something.

flake : Noun : a small piece or mass; a small, thin, flat piece.

Variants: flaker (noun), flakeless (adjective).

obsessive : Adjective : being to obsession.

obsession : Noun : one’s feeling or thoughts being dominated by some idea or desire; preoccupation of mind with unwanted fear or emotion.

Synonyms: bug,craze, crush, delusion, infatuation, jones, mania, phantom, phobia.

Words of the Day - 7

A few words am trying to stack on to my memory…

Prejudice : Noun : An unfavourable opinion or feeling formed before attaining full knowledge about something; a favourable or unfavourable feeling or thought preconceived without any reasons; :: Synonyms :Preconception, partiality, predisposition, predilection, bias.

Deceive : Verb : To misleage by making a false statement or appearance; false persuation; to be unfaithful to :: Synonyms : dupe, fool, hoodwink, trick, defraud, betray, gull

Specious : Adjective : good or correct even though lacking merit; superficially pleasing; pleasing to the eye yet deceptive; true to the outside but false within; plausible though not true.

Words of the Day - 6

Again, with new and interesting words in RD this month, the Word of the Day post comes back!

Prodigious : Adjective : Admiration or respect; big sized commaning respect.

Elucidate : Verb : Explain; make clear.

Vortex : Noun : Whirling mass of air/water/fire drawing everything into it.

Somatic : Adjective : Physical or material.

Resonance : Noun : Deep sound - reverbating and amplified.

Anomaly : Noun : Abnormal; unusual.

Debility : Noun : Weekend state.

Intrinsic : Adjective : Internal nature of a thing; charecteristic nature.

Obliterate : Verb : Completely destroy without leaving any traces.

Totemic : Adjective : Sybmolic; represntation of a larger group or body.

Artifice : Noun : Clever trick or skill.

Clement : Adjective : Having compassion; lenient.

Reconnoiter : Verb : Survey, reconnoissance.

Acquiesce : Verb : Submit; comply without protest.

Paroxysm : Noun : Sudden burst of emotion.

Words of the Day - 5

This month’s RD is out and its time to present you with newer words. I wonder how guys remeber so many words, I find it hard to remember a few.

Grotto : Noun : Cave or cavern.

Sonorous : Adjective : Loud; resonating with sound.

Example : The hall was so sonorous that we couldn’t hear the announcement being made on the dias.

Solicitously : Adjective : with concern or anxiety.

Example; My wife solicitously listened to the flashback of my life, all over the night.

Idylic : Adjective : Charmingly simple; rustic.

Example : Their guesthouse was idylic in the mountain surroundings.

Abhor : Verb : to detest; regard with aversion.

Example : I humbly abhor the professor’s habbit of coming late to classes.

Quash : Verb : To supress or put down.

Example : The team management is squashing the passionate young players.

Morose : Adjective : Expressing gloom; ill-humoured.

Example : within our gang, his morose nature spoils the entire mood.

Fetter : Verb : To restrain; confine oneself to a place;

Example : She was fettered to her house because of her ill-health dog.

Proletarian : Adjective : Working class or wage earners who do not own any property.

Example : As he came from the proletarian background, he ended up with a majority vote in the election.

Megalomaniac : Noun : One who exaggerates his own importance; who is obessed with grand things.

Example : The director was such a megalomaniac that the entrie crew went mad.

Words of the Day - 4

Impertinent : Adj. : Exceeding one's limits of manners; improperly bold; saucy; over-spirited; charetcerized by exuberant quality.
Synonyms : pert, caucy, irreverent, extraneous, orthogonal, overbold, impudent

Example : The girl was impertinent to advice her mother.

Obliqueness : Adj. : Charecterized with a slanting or inclined position; sloping direction; misleading, dishonest, devious; evasive, indirect.

Examples : The deck of the ship has a slight obliqueness; The politicians talk was filled with obliqueness.

Conciseness : Adj. : Expressing more things in few words.

Synonym : Pithiness, succinctness.

Example : The professor's talk was a conciseness of his entire experience.

Pyrrhic Victory : Adj. : Sustaining staggering losses in order to defeat the enemy (Pyrrhic victory over the Romans).

Recuperating : Verb : Recoveting; returning to health or strength; restoring to original form;

Synonyms : Recoup, recover, convalesce.

Example : The Stock exchange is now stable, recuperating after the initial fall down.

Words of the Day 3

I happened to read this month's Reader Digest (RD) today. The word power in this issue was really interesting that I decided to blog a few of them.

Scion : Noun : Descendant or heir.

Example: The scion of the royal family helped the poor during the famine.

Tarry : Verb : To delay by making a slow move.

Example: The procession got delayed due to the crowd tarrying all the way.

Polemic : Noun : A controversial argument.

Example: The lawyer was careful not to make a polemic during the trial.

Sangfroid : Noun : Calmness; composure.

Example: The sangfroid of the surroundings made the courtyard admirable.

Desultory : Adjective : Uncommitted; inconsistent; lacking any purpose; unconnected;

Example: The fans got frustrated due to the desultory comments made by the comedian.

Sobriquet : Noun : Nickname.

Example: Red chick was a famous sobriquet of my friend in the school.