Augur

(1) One of a group of ancient Roman religious officials who foretold events by observing and interpreting signs and omens.
(2) A seer or prophet; a soothsayer.

Baluster

(1a) One of the upright, usually rounded or vase-shaped supports of a balustrade.
(1b) An upright support, such as a furniture leg, having a similar shape.
(2) One of the supporting posts of a handrail.

Lilliputian

n.
A very small person or being.


adj.
(1) Very small; diminutive.
(2) Trivial; petty.

Etymology: After Lilliput, a country in Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, where everything was diminutive.

Satori

A spiritual awakening sought in Zen Buddhism, often coming suddenly.

Verdigris

(1) A blue or green powder consisting of basic cupric acetate used as a paint pigment and fungicide.
(2) A green patina or crust of copper sulfate or copper chloride formed on copper, brass, and bronze exposed to air or seawater for long periods of time.

Surreptitious

(1) Obtained, done, or made by clandestine or stealthy means.
(2) Acting with or marked by stealth.

Mephistopheles

The devil in the Faust legend to whom Faust sold his soul.

Tsuris

Trouble; aggravation.

Schadenfreude

Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

Mendacity

(1) The condition of being mendacious; untruthfulness.
(2) A lie; a falsehood.

Tergiversate

(1) To use evasions or ambiguities; equivocate.
(2) To change sides; apostatize.

Weltschmerz

Sadness over the evils of the world, especially as an expression of romantic pessimism.

Provenance

(1) Place of origin; derivation.
(2) Proof of authenticity or of past ownership. Used of art works and antiques.

Mendacious

(1) Lying; untruthful: a mendacious child.
(2) False; untrue: a mendacious statement. See Synonyms at dishonest.

Gerund

(1) In Latin, a noun derived from a verb and having all case forms except the nominative.
(2) In other languages, a verbal noun analogous to the Latin gerund, such as the English form ending in -ing when used as a noun, as in singing in We admired the choir's singing.