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.

perspective and perceptive

Two words.  Different in meaning.  Different in intent.

But, when we confuse sounds within the syllables of some words, we arrive at misunderstandings.

'Perspective', a noun, is defined as 'a way of regarding situations, facts, events and similar, and judging their relative importance.  It is also defined as an accurate point of view or objectivity in viewing it.  In the context of art, 'perspective' relates to the 3-dimensional positioning of objects on a 2-dimensional surface.

'Perceptive' serves as an adjective. It usually describes a person's ability to quickly and accurately 'pick up', 'observe', 'see and take note of' the key aspects of a situation, an interaction or another person's change in state.

If you happen to be using these two words in close proximity to one another, it is useful to take your time with them and say them slowly so that you speak them clearly.

auspicious

This dignified and gracious word comes to mind on the evening before Chinese New Year in 2012.

An adjective, it means favourable, propitious and auguring well.

Co-incidentally, when checking details of the Chinese 12-year zodiac cycle, I found this:

'The dragon is the 5th sign of the Chinese zodiac and it is regarded as an auspicious symbol which stands for power, good luck, success, and happiness.

How appropriate it is to share this wonderful word with you today.

fester

This is a wonderfully vivid word.

One a purely practical level, it describes a supurating wound.

Metaphorically, it brings to mind a state of inner turmoil.  One of bubbling, seething emotion that may erupt.

When used appropriately, it will draw full attention to the matter being addressed.

meticulous

This adjective arises from 16 Century Latin. Its genesis is found in 'meticulosus' (meaning fearful) from the original word-stem 'metus' (fear).

What's interesting about 'meticulous', is that its history shows meanings change as words are integrated in different language.  

This practice is hot unusual.  Word usage changes as new words enter a language and continue to develop within past and current contexts.

In its current contexts 'meticulous' means very precise about details, even trivial ones; thus 'meticulous' can carry negative as well as a positive implications.


The implications are given to us in the meaning of the sentence as well as the tonal quality of the delivery.  Our successful understanding of the intention of the speaker relies on close attention and focused listening to tonal changes!

Here is yet another example of 'what you say' and 'how you say it' working in partnership with each other.