27AUG09

eleemosynary: of, relating to, or supported by charity

how to use in casual conversation:

"i was thinking about doing some eleemosynary work to offset all the horrible things i've done in my life"
"my subsistence depends on platonic eleemosynary"
"mommy? when we go to the circus can i see the eleemosynary?"

not to be confused with:

hell if i know...

how it makes me feel:

i looked at this word and said 'whoa'. this one is intimidating. not only does it feel like your mouth fills up with cotton balls when you try to say it, the usage is also a little bit of an uphill battle. where and when in human history was so much charity going on that they came up with a word for it besides 'charity'. it's an excellent WOTD. MW has certainly redeemed themselves after yesterday's 'dead hand' fiasco.




saturnine:

1. Having the temperament of one born under the supposed astronomical influence of saturn.
2. a.  Melancholy or sullen.
    b.  Having or marked by a tendency to be bitter or sardonic.
3.  Produced by absorption of lead.

how to use in casual conversation:

"i've had just about enough of your saturnine b.s."
"but i'm not saturnine. oh no, i am not saturnine"
"you're awfully sexy when you look all saturnine and crap"

not to be confused with:

saturniidae

how it makes me feel:

i'm ok with it. how about you? it's not a bad WOTD. it's hovering towards the good end of the spectrum, but i'm really not all that sure. it's not bad in terms of size and it does have a somewhat dark feel to it which i like, but something is amiss. i think my issue is that unlike words where it sounds dark but isn't, this one is dark but doesn't show it. saturnine is hiding something and i don't like that.