Grammar Pedant: February 2014

My week in words

Adscititious: adjective. Derived or acquired from something on the outside. Supplemental, additional. Derived from the Latin "scire" meaning "to know".
Decoct: verb. To extract the flavour of by boiling. To boil down or concentrate.
Picayune: adjective. Of little value, paltry. Also: petty, small-minded
Redoubtable: adjective. Causing fear or alarm: formidable, worthy of respect. From the Anglo-French meaning "to dread".
Frisson: noun. A brief moment of emotional excitement: shudder, thrill.
Colubrine: adjective. Relating to or resembling a snake. From Latin "colubrinus" from "coluber" meaning "snake".
Perfervid: adjective. Intense and impassioned. From the Latin "fervere" meaning "to boil"