folly

English took this word from Old French (folie meaning madness) in the early Middle Ages.

At this time in history, travellers constantly crossed Europe, England and Asia Minor. They took language as well as goods, services, tales and cultures with them. It was truly a 'melting-pot' time.

It serves as a noun describing a state of foolishness, being rash, being stupid; or as the name of a mistake, an idea or a foolish action. Because it is seldom used, it can serve as a practical choice in work contexts if you want to draw attention to the possible negative impact of an idea or a concept.

 I appreciate 'folly' particularly as I have seen one on my travels!  Yes, it was a building in southern England, (though you find them anywhere) structured in the form of a castle. These 'follies' are create to satisfy a whim of a local leader or landowner and built with grandiose intentions.

The word is also used in the theatre to describe an elaborately constumed review.

Interestingly, its meaning has changed from the original. There, it brought to mind 'doing evil' and 'wickedness' with an implication of lewd or wanton behaviour accompanying the word.

provoke

As a verb, this word is a useful single alternative to using a group of words to describe the action of 'being driven to take action or respond'.

It is used in the context of strong feelings; anger, frustration and similar.

In some sentences it can imply a deliberate intent of the perpetrator to provoke a response in another.

When using this word in spoken contexts give weight and full clarity to the sounds [p] and [k] if you wish to emphasise a sharp, sudden action.  Full stress falls on the second syllable of the word.

'Provoke' is certainly a word to use sparingly and with clear intent in order to preserve its inherent power.

coerce

This word is often found on the lead pages of national and international newspapers.  It arises where the ideas and desires of a people and their government diverge or are in conflict.

When I hear it, I pick up the sharpness, the hard edge, the rough impact of the word on the ear.  This gives it a compelling sensory texture when spoken clearly.

It's a verb that means 'to compel or restrain by force of authority without regard to individual wishes or desires'.

Arising from the Latin and used in 17 Century, it has remained true to is original meaning 'to confine or restrain'.

mendicant

From the Latin, 'mendicare', meaning to beg. As a noun, it is another word, infrequently used, for 'beggar'.

Most often, it serves as an adjective, particularly describing members of a religious order who depend on alms, or on sporadic donations of goods or money for their sustenance.  The word in context appears as in 'mendicant friars'.

An evocative word that carries meaning, mental pictures, a range of emotional responses and, very likely, a memory.

loft

We tend to take short words for granted. After reading this I hope you give them more weight in your spoken words.  Here's an example:

'Loft' serves as a noun with several meanings arising from a single intention. It is a space inside a roof; a gallery particularly one for a church choir; a room over a stable to store hay; also a raised house or coop where pigeons are kept and, in US contexts, an upper storey of a warehouse or factory.

It serves in sporting contexts where, in golf, it encompases the lifting of the ball in relation to the angle of the club face and the vertical when striking the ball; the elevation of the ball itself and the height to which a ball rises once it is struck or kicked.

And has a particular meaning in marine design where the act of lofting means to layout a fullscale drawing of the lines of a vessel's hull.  All of that in just one four-letter word!

Its history is rich and deep in the past, moving from Old English into earlier Old Norse which has resonance with Old Danish and Old High German. Think of the common and diverse strains of culture entwined in the word.

It brings wonderful shades of antique ancestry to the ancient Angles, Saxons and Jutes who influenced the roots of English.  An influence that remains and is visible today, in often-spoken English words.