Category word meaning

(Pronounced maw kuhsh)

Meaning: This adjective means showing emotion or love in an awkward or silly way.

Origin: The word originates from the Middle English mawke, meaning "maggot”. Its earliest sense, used in the late 17th century but now obsolete, was synonymous with squeamish, but not long after that, mawkish was used to describe an unpleasant, nauseating, often sickeningly sweet flavour. The figurative sense of mawkish, used to describe things that are full of "sickly sweet" sentimentality, arose almost concurrently.

Usage: The actor's mawkish poem was boring and insincere.

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(Pronounced im por tune)

Meaning: This verb means to make repeated, forceful requests for something, usually in a way that is annoying.

Origin: Importune is derived from the Old French verb “importuner”, which came from the Latin words “importunus" and "importare" meaning to cause inconvenience.

Usage: The students importuned the professor to extend the deadline of the assignment.

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(pronounced duh leh muh)

Meaning: The word dilemma is used to refer to a situation in which a tough choice has to be made between two or more alteratives. It is especially used when the choices confronted with are equally undesirable.

Origin

The word has been around 1520s in rhetoric, from Late Latin dilemma from Greek dilemma meaning "a double proposition." It is arrived at by combing di (two) with lemma (premise, anything received or taken).

The meaning "choice between two undesirable alternatives" has been around since the 1580s.

After steady usage in the 19th Century, the word saw a spike in usage in the hundred or so years that followed and is currently enjoying a high with respect to the last 200 years.

Usage: The student faced an agonising dilemma and it seems like there is no correct choice.

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(Pronounced awb.vee.ayt)

Meaning: A verb, obviate means to eliminate a need for something or to prevent something from happening.

Origin: The term is derived from Late Latin obviat meaning "prevented", from the Latin verb obviare meaning "to withstand". The prefix "ob" means "to go against" and "via" means "way" in Latin. The term obviate has been in use in English since the late 16th Century.

Usage: The natural breeze in the evening is so good that it obviates the need to switch on the fan at home.

A parachute can be used to obviate disaster. The new medicine obviates the need for surgery.

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(Pronounced dau.ti)

Meaning: An adjective, doughty means brave, dauntless or intrepid. It is also used to describe someone who is unwilling to stop trying to achieve something. In other words, the term refers to fearless resolution.

Origin: Doughty is said to have a Germanic origin dyhtig, meaning "competent, strong". It came to be used in Middle English to mean "brave, valiant" from Old English dohtig, a variant of dyhtig.

Usage: She has been for decades a doughty campaigner for children's rights.

They have been stifled by their doughty opponents.

Despite her illness, her doughty spirit kept her going.

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