Pass It On: Vocabulary

My Dad passed down to me his love for vocabulary.  When he was in town last month he made sure to tell me about 2 new words he was trying to readily incorporate into his every day vocabulary.  I was excited to hear about them.

On dictionary.com they showed the 5 most obscure words thus far for 2011!

tergiversation verb (used without object), -sat·ed, -sat·ing.

1.     

to change repeatedly one's attitude or opinions with respectto a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.

2.

to turn renegade.

internecine adjective

1.

of or pertaining to conflict or struggle within a group: aninternecine feud among proxy holders.

2.

mutually destructive.

3.

characterized by great slaughter; deadly.

zugzwang noun Chess.

a situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost piecesor have a damaging positional effect.

Origin: 1900–05; < German, equivalent to Zug move + Zwangconstraint, obligation

quietus noun, plural -tus·es.

1.

a finishing stroke; anything that effectually ends or settles:Having given a quietus to the argument, she left.

2.

discharge or release from life.

3.

a period of retirement or inactivity.

Origin: 1530–40; < Medieval Latin quiētus quit (in quiētus est (he)is quit, a formula of acquittance), Latin: (he) is quiet, at rest (seequiet¹); compare quit¹ (adj.)

oppugnancy adjective

opposing; antagonistic; contrary.