Vocabulary Mnemonics

February 21, 2024

Matt’s words

Esoteric: (adj) understood by or meant for only the select few who have knowledge

“Steve was puzzled by all of the author’s esoteric references to 17^th-century Europe.”

Mnemonic: Break the word into es-o-teric. Visualize the “es” and someone named “Derrick” inside the “o.” This will help you remember that the meaning is only for the inner circle of people who have special knowledge of what’s in the “o.”

Surreptitious: (adj) acting in a sneaky way; obtained or done by stealth

“The thief, dressed in black, climbed surreptitiously up the side of the building.”

Mnemonic: Picture the thief climbing up the side of the building. If a police officer saw him, he might shout, “Sir, up there!” which sounds like the beginning of surreptitious.

Tacit: (adj) understood without being openly expressed; silent or unspoken

“With a wink and a nod, the two business owners made a tacit agreement that they would both raise their prices.”

Mnemonic: Take the “I” out of the word, and you have “tact.” Tact is knowing what to say and what not to say, and someone with tact knows when to keep silent and what should remain unspoken.

Scatology: (n) the study of or preoccupation with excrement or obscenity; potty humor

“The foolish comedian was stunned that his joke failed to get a single laugh. He then realized that his audience was mostly senior citizens who didn’t appreciate the scatological humor.”

Mnemonic: “-Ology” means the study of, and we have “scat” at the beginning. Most everyone when they see excrement will get away, or scat.

Lugubrious: (adj) weighty, mournful, gloomy, especially to an excessive degree

“Matt was feeling lugubrious after the death of his grandma.”

Mnemonic: “Lug” is at the beginning. If you have something heavy or weighty, you lug it around. When you’re lugubrious, you’re lugging around your emotions, and they’re weighing you down.

Dr. Mom’s words

Ebullient: (adj) overflowing with fervor and enthusiasm or excitement; bubbly

“Mom was in an ebullient mood at the thought of her upcoming travel.”

Mnemonic: Think of “bull” at a rodeo. The rider has just sat down on the bull’s back, and the bull kicks its hind legs and gets very excited and high-spirited.

Loquacious: (adj) talkative, chattery, even tending toward excess

“Matt is so loquacious, Mom can hardly get a word in edgewise (haha).”

Mnemonic: Notice “loq” at the beginning, which means having to do with talking. Eloquent has that same root and means well spoken, while loquacious means lots of talking.

Sagacious: (adj) wise; having or showing acute mental discernment

“The senator used a solemn tone in an effort to seem sagacious.”

Mnemonic: A sage is a wise person and is usually thought of as someone old. Picture someone “saggy” in the face (old) who says wise things, and you have a sagacious sage.

Enervate: (v) to deprive of force or strength; to destroy the vigor of; to weaken

“The Marines hoped to enervate the enemy by relentlessly pummeling him on every side.”

Mnemonic: You’ll put a twist on the word. When you first see “enervate,” you might think of “energy” because they start the same way. But “vate!” It’s not energy; it’s the opposite! You’re not invigorated with energy but enervated, or weakened.

Intrepid: (adj) resolutely fearless; brave; courageous, bold (think Hiawatha)

“Mom intrepidly entered the conference room where she would defend her dissertation.”

Mnemonic: After the “in” at the beginning, you see “trepid.” This refers to trepidation, which is the way you feel when you’re nervous or fearful. The “in” makes it the opposite, so you’re fearless.

Sentences:

“This week, be loquacious! There’s no need to be surreptitious about it. Try out these words in your conversations. And please, no scatological references if you want to sound sagacious.”