Languid – borrowed from the French languide (“fatigued, weak, indifferent”) – describes something that is heavy and slow, lacking in energy or strength. It can have a sensual/sexual connotation. As I used it today: “The musicians began to play a languid, Middle Eastern sounding tune, and then everyone was shouting at Arosi.”

Feisty describes someone who is lively, determined, and courageous. The word was originally applied to scrappy little hunting dogs. It also, oddly, seems to have something to do with farting. As I used it in my review of The Haunting of Hill House, above: “[The characters] include Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a ‘haunting’; his wife, a believer in spirits; Theodora, a feisty young woman; Luke, the future heir of the house; and Eleanor, a fragile young woman that supposedly had experiences with poltergeists when she was young.”

A shibboleth (SHIH-buh-leth) – from the Hebrew – is a custom, principle, or belief associated with a particular group of people, especially a longstanding one regarded as outmoded or no longer important. As I used it above, “[Ben Bernanke] was the person that came up with the shibboleth of Quantitative Easing.”

Pansophic – from the Greek pan (“all”) plus sophy “knowledge”) – means “wise, all-knowing.” As I used it, above: “I only heard the first sentence. It was articulated clearly in his pansophic voice. ‘Mark. Are you aware that there are actually two biological functions for your penis?’”

To foment – from the Old French fomenter, “to apply a hot compress (to a wound)” – is to encourage or instigate. As I used it, above: “Peacetime CEOs and Tenders allow for, and even encourage, deviations and experiments in order to foment good will and creativity.”

Ipso facto – Latin for “by that very fact or act” – means “as an inevitable result.” It’s usually used where a conclusion can be drawn from one fact, even where other facts could contribute to it. As I used it above, “There are statements that, though ipso facto absurd, are not questioned because of political pressure.”

Miscegenation is a fancy word for “interracial marriage.” Now usually considered offensive or pejorative, it is derived from a combination of the Latin miscere (“mix”) and genus (“race”). As I used it above: “I’ve always thought that the answer to racism would be miscegenation on a universal scale.”

Ontological relates to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being. As I used it today: “I read [Men Without Women] while I was in the hospital last week, nodding in and out of consciousness. It was a literary balm to soothe my ontological anxiety.”

Palaver – from the Late Latin parabola (“speech”) – is idle talk; an unimportant discussion that goes on too long. As I used it today: “From his palaver with the nurses and aides after the doctor left, I learned that his name was Samuel, but he preferred to be called Sam.”