Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition Quotes

“DYNAM comes from the Greek dynamis, meaning “power.” A dyne is a unit used in measuring force; an instrument that measures force is called a dynamometer. And when Alfred Nobel invented a powerful explosive in 1867, he named it dynamite.”
― Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Studies have shown that the only way a new word will remain alive in your vocabulary is if it's regularly reinforced through use and through reading. Learn the word here and look and listen for it elsewhere; you'll probably find yourself running into it frequently, just as when you've bought a new car you soon realize how many other people own the same model.”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“crescent (1) The moon between the new moon and first quarter, and between the last quarter and the next new moon. (2) Anything shaped like the crescent moon. • The symbol of Islam is a crescent moon with a star between the points, an astronomical impossibility.”
― Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Your uncle's will may make a church his sole beneficiary, in which case all his money and property will go to it when he dies.”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Start using the words immediately. As soon as you feel confident with a word, start trying to work it into your writing wherever appropriate—your papers and reports, your diary and your poetry. An old saying goes, “Use it three times and it's yours.” That may be, but don't stop at three. Make the words part of your working vocabulary, the words that you can not only recognize when you see or hear them but that you can comfortably call on whenever you need them. Astonish your friends, amaze your relatives, astound yourself (while trying not to be too much of a show-off)—and have fun!”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Roman statesman and orator Cicero was renowned for his elegant style and great knowledge (and occasional long-windedness). So 18th-century Italians seem to have given the name cicerone to the guides who would show well-educated foreigners around the great cultural sites of the ancient Roman empire—guides who sought to”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“enamored Charmed or fascinated; inflamed with love.”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“bibliophile,”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Many longtime readers resist using e-books, saying they miss the tactile sensations of leafing through an actual book.”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Many students think that adding unnecessary sentences with long words will make their writing more impressive. But in fact almost every reader values concision, since concise writing is usually easier to read, better thought out, and better organized—that is, simply better writing.”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Most reflective people would agree with Socrates that (as he told the jury that would soon sentence him to death) “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Reflective people tend to be a bit philosophical and intellectual.”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“technophile \ˈtek-nə-ˌfīl\ One who loves technology.”
― Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Just as infinite describes something immeasurable (“without limit”), infinitesimal describes something endlessly small. When Antonie van Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope in the 17th century, he was able to see organisms that had been thought too infinitesimally small to exist.”
― Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Ambient music” is the term used today for “atmospheric” background music usually intended for relaxation or meditation.”
― Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“result in the words jovial and joviality.”
― Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition

“Jove, or Jupiter, was the Roman counterpart of the Greek's Zeus, and like Zeus was regarded as chief among the gods. When the Romans were naming the planets, they gave the name Jupiter to the one that, as they may have already known, was the largest of all (though only the second-brightest to the naked eye). When the practice of astrology reached the Roman empire from the East, astrologers declared that those “born under Jupiter” were destined to be merry and generous, and many centuries later this would result in the words jovial and joviality.”
― Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, Kindle Edition