Vocabulary Mnemonics

April 26, 2024

Matt’s words

Ephemeral (adj): lasting for a very short time; momentary; fleeting

Sentence: Florida’s ephemeral winters make it a popular destination for retirees.

Mnemonic: Since ephemeral is all about shortness, we shorten the word to F.M.

“I have an F.M. problem.”

“My F.M. needs are not being met”

Peregrinations (plural noun): travels or wanderings; pilgrimages; long journeys

Sentence: On his peregrinations, Captain Cook mapped much of the south Pacific.

Mnemonic: Imagine going on a journey in search of a pair of “grin nations.” These are nations that make you happy. You know it’s going to take a little while because you need to find a pair of them.

Sinecure (n): cushy job requiring little to no work; figurehead position

Sentence: Cozy sinecure…

The boss’s brother-in-law enjoyed the cozy sinecure of Head of Creative Thinking at the factory.

Mnemonic: Take note of “sin” and “cure.” That’s where this word comes from. In medieval times someone would be given the cushy job of “curer of sins.”

So, imagine someone at your office with that title. Obviously, it’s a cushy job requiring little to no work.

Furtive glance: (adj)a quick, stealthy look; a quick glance

The root word is furt, which is an archaic term for someone who’s sneaky. Furt is dead but furtive has survived.

Sentence: When the kidnappers asked me where the safe was hidden, I took a furtive glance at the closet.

During dinner, John took a furtive glance at the beautiful guest sitting down the table.

Mnemonic: When I hear “furt” I can’t help but think of flirt. Shorten “flirt” to furt” and you get the opposite meaning.

Think of a flirtatious stare. It’s a long, loving look where you’re hoping to make eye contact with someone.

A furtive glance is the opposite.

You shorten the word and you turn a long stare into a short glance.

Feted (v): celebrated; honored

Sentence: After winning his sixth title, Michael Jordan was feted across America.

Mnemonic: You are “feted” when you accomplish a difficult “feat.”

Dr. Mom’s words

Caustic: (adj): capable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue; acid. Also, severely critical or sarcastic

Sentence: The bully’s caustic behavior intimidated all but the hardiest of his teammates.

Mnemonic: I’m so mean ‘cause of the tic’ that’s burrowing into my skin. It feels like burning.”

Tacit: (adj) understood or implied without being stated

Sentence: The crowd’s silence was taken as tacit agreement with the erudite speaker’s comments.

Mnemonic: Tacit rhymes with “class, sit!” Imagine a classroom full of kids who are told to sit and listen while the principal of speaking. When asked for comments or questions afterward, the class kept sitting quietly, implying understanding and agreement.

Effect: (n) the result or consequence of something (more common usage)

Sentence: The effect on the spectators when the golfer hit a hole-in-one was tremendous!

Mnemonic: Break “effect” into syllables: Eff ect. The effect of getting an “f”? Ect! (like yuck!).

Affect: (v) to act on, to produce a change in, to move the feelings of (more common usage)

Sentence: Spending time in the killing fields in Cambodia really affected the tourists.

Mnemonic: Picture word “affect.” Take out the “ffe” in the middle, and you get “act.” So think of acting on something, or taking action.

Less common usage: (n) the outward expression of feelings or emotion (less common usage)

Sentence for noun form: After recovering from cancer, the patient’s affect was noticeably more positive.

Obsolescence: (n) the process of becoming obsolete, antiquated, outdated, no longer used

Sentence: Rapidly changing technology makes the obsolescence of each new thing highly likely.

Mnemonic: Break the syllables into a sentence. “Ob, so less sense.” Expand on this to be, “Obviously, that (thing) makes so much less sense now,” which would apply to things becoming obsolete.

Big sentence:

The caustic bagpipe repairman holding a sinecure, concerned that the effect of the ephemeral nature and potential obsolescence of his work would affect his ability to engage in future peregrinations or to be feted, stole furtive glances at his employer’s plans and tacitly disapproved of them.