[cmoneyspinner]

Every new year, one of my New Year's resolutions always includes enhancing my vocabulary. I say that I am going to learn a new word each day. I even expand my goal by saying I am going to learn a new language by learning one new word a day. But that never happens. I can't carry out my resolution because I have no resolve.

But whenever I don't have Internet access … it's time to peruse a dictionary or a lexicon and learn some new words to occupy my time. (It's either that or clean the house! LOL. )

One day, my Internet was out for a really long time.

Since I was learning new words and since this is a global community where many members don't speak English as their first language, I figure they might have fun learning these new words too!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many of these are no longer conversational words used in modern English; at least not American English. However, if you're playing Scrabble or some other word game they might help you WIN!!

Below is the word, the definition, and an example of how it can be used in a sentence.

babushka russian-doll-3871574_640.png (267.28 KiB) Viewed 208 times

■ 5 English Words That Begin With “AB”:

abattoir – a slaughterhouse

In the early 19th century an abattoir was what people called a public slaughterhouse for cattle, sheep, etc.

abnegate – to give up (rights, claims, etc.; to renounce)

If love and friendship could not be together, would you abnegate love?

abscissa – (math term) horizontal distance of a point from a vertical axis

This paper presents a method to calculate the short circuit current of an abscissa compensation circuit.

abstruce (or abstruse) – hard to understand

For me, I don't play chess because it is a game which is too abstruse.

abut – to border (on or upon)

Mexico abuts some of the richest parts of the United States.


■ 5 English Words That Begin With “BA”:

babushka – scarf worn by a woman over her hair and tied under the chin (Russian for "grandmother")

They did not know her name but all the villagers called her Grandma because she covered her silvery white hair with a lovely babushka.

badinage – playful teasing or joking

It was a happy gathering and badinage was permitted as long as it impersonal and not offensive or insulting.

baize – thick woolen cloth used for coverings; coarse, feltlike woolen cloth

The servants were given rooms to sleep in, but since there was no door to guard their privacy, a few yards of dark green baize served as a curtain to cover the entrance.

barathea – fine woolen cloth, sometimes interwoven with silk and/or cotton

The soldiers wore coats and hats made of black barathea wool which they were especially grateful for during the winter season.

bathysphere – large spherical steel chamber, able to withstand great pressure, used for deep-sea observation … bathyscaph - A deep-sea diving apparatus for reaching great depths, nearly 11 km (c. 6.8 mi), without a cable: it consists of a navigable, ballasted, submarine-shaped float filled with a fluid lighter than water, and a steel observation cabin.

The bathysphere, limited to depths of about 900 meters (3,000 feet), has been supplanted by the safer and more navigable bathyscaph.

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Related or Similar Links:

Continuing Education : Vocabulary Words : 5 Words That Begin With “Q” (or “X” or “Z”)

Useful websites for online English teachers

Word of the Day

English Vocabulary Words with Meaning. Build your Vocabulary

[Netherrealmer]

I remember Russia have a plural for Babushka which is called Babushki, Back in 2012, A group of Russian grannies formed a singing girl group called buranovskiye babushki, these group of villager grannies wanted to build a school and a church for their isolated village so competed on the national selection of Russia for Russia's eurovision entry. They won and represented Russia on that globally known (except from America because Americans are snobs on things they are not involved with) contest and ends up as Runner ups.

Here is a news feature about them:



Here they are in the grand finals:



They lost to this talented young lady( She deserves to win but at least the grannies got their intention and the build school and church for their village)


The grannies didn't win as they end up as runner ups but they defeated mainstream european popstars and the runner up money is enough to build the church and school they wanted. Sadly 2 of the originals died but they got replacement grannies. They are still popular in Russia.

Eurovision launched the careers of ABBA, Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias (Enrique's dad) Lulu,Olivia Newton John, many more.

[Mika]

Never heard of any words. I use English as a second language and every day I try to learn new words in English so that my language improves. One of my reasons for posting on forums was to improve my language and writing skills

[cmoneyspinner]

@Netherrealmer - Ah yes! My late husband instantly fell in love with Loreen. I did not watch the Eurovision shows. My husband would look up clips he found on YouTube. That's a wonderful story about the Russian grannies. They did not win the contest but THEY WON!

Interesting tidbit about the famous singers who were introduced to the world on Eurovision. I know all the people you named and yet I did not know that.

-- 29 May 2021, 14:07 --

Never heard of any words. I use English as a second language and every day I try to learn new words in English so that my language improves. One of my reasons for posting on forums was to improve my language and writing skills

If you ask me I say that you're doing quite well!

[bestwriter]

If one is consistent with this resolve which I am sure you are by now you will have mastered a lot.

[chikitta]

Wow most of this words are foreign to me they sound like greek surely doesn't sound like english but they are. If there is a way i would like to learn more english its by reading novels i will definitely come across words that are new to me, but dictionaries make things harder for me.

[Netherrealmer]

I think the word abstract came from abstruse or vice versa.