Muse: (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Muse)

Verb -

1. To be absorbed in one’s thoughts; engage in meditation.
2. To consider or say thoughtfully: mused that it might take longer to drive than walk.
3. A state of meditation.

Noun -

1. Greek Mythology Any of the nine daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, each of whom presided over a different art or science.

2. A guiding spirit; a source of inspiration.
3. A poet.

Eschew: (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eschew)

To avoid; shun.

Truculent: (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Truculent)

1. Disposed to fight; pugnacious.
2. Expressing bitter opposition; scathing: a truculent speech against the new government.
3. Disposed to or exhibiting violence or destructiveness; fierce.

Redolent:

(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Redolent)
1. Having or emitting fragrance; aromatic.
2. Suggestive; reminiscent: a campaign redolent of machine politics.
3. having a pleasant smell; fragrant

The common thread of these four words is that writers seem to use them often in their books, at least they kept appearing in the books I read this summer.

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Tangential – adjective  (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tangential?o=100074)

1.  pertaining to or of the nature of a tangent; being or moving in the direction of a tangent.

2.  merely touching; slightly connected: tangential information.

3.  divergent or digressive, as from a subject under consideration: tangential remarks.

4.  tending to digress or to reply to questions obliquely.

My friend, Helen Sherry, uses this word and it flows out of her mouth beautifully; when I try to use it, I feel like a big wad of cotton is rolling around on my tongue.

Hyperbole – noun Rhetoric.  (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hyperbole?o=100074)

1.  obvious and intentional exaggeration.

2.  an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

This is not the mathematical term Hyperbola.

Eccentric – adjective   (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Eccentric+?o=100074)

1.  deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd: eccentric conduct; an eccentric person.

2. Geometry. not having the same center; not concentric: used esp. of two circles or spheres at least one of which contains the centers of both.

3.  (of an axis, axle, etc.) not situated in the center.

4.  Machinery. having the axis or support away from the center: an eccentric wheel.

5.  Astronomy. deviating from a circular form, as an elliptic orbit.

– noun

6.  a person who has an unusual, peculiar, or odd personality, set of beliefs, or behavior pattern.

7.  something that is unusual, peculiar, or odd.

8.  Machinery. a device for converting circular motion into rectilinear motion, consisting of a disk fixed somewhat off-center to a revolving shaft, and working freely in a surrounding collar (eccentric strap), to which a rod (eccentric rod) is attached.

My group of words was mathematical in origin or mathematically sounding words.

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Special thanks to R.B. Hinkle, Chemical Engineer, for his word suggestions, most of which I’m still trying to figure out what they mean.

Each month one SLO NightWriter member will blog on three – five words.  They can be words that are your favorite, funny or pretty sounding.  Maybe the are misused often or you just learned them, whatever.  All words should be grouped together–you choose the theme or make one up.

Here are the first three words:

Peruse –  (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11^th Edition)

1. to study, to examine or consider with attention and in detail

2. to look over in a casual manner

Now which is it?  I thought the definition was the first one, but I hear people use the second definition.  I don’t understand, since I think these are opposites.

Affect - (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/affect)

verb (used with object)

1.  to act on; produce an effect or change in: Cold weather affected the crops.

2.  to impress the mind or move the feelings of: The music affected him deeply.

3. (of pain, disease, etc.) to attack or lay hold of.

noun

4. Psychology. feeling or emotion.

5. Psychiatry. an expressed or observed emotional response: Restricted, flat, or blunted affect may be a symptom of   mental illness, especially schizophrenia.

6. Obsolete. affection; passion; sensation; inclination; inward disposition or feeling.

Effect – (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/effect)

verb (used with object)

noun

1. something that is produced by an agency or cause; result; consequence: Exposure to the sun had the effect of toughening his skin.

2. power to produce results; efficacy; force; validity; influence: His protest had no effect.

3. the state of being effective or operative; operation or execution; accomplishment or fulfillment: to bring a plan into effect.

4. a mental or emotional impression produced, as by a painting or a speech.

5. meaning or sense; purpose or intention: She disapproved of the proposal and wrote to that effect.

6. the making of a desired impression: We had the feeling that the big, expensive car was only for effect.

7. an illusory phenomenon: a three-dimensional effect.

8. a real phenomenon (usually named for its discoverer): the Doppler effect.

9. special effects.

verb (used with object)

10. to produce as an effect; bring about; accomplish; make happen: The new machines finally effected the transition to computerized accounting last spring.

In case you haven’t guessed, my group’s theme is “words that confuse.”  Each time I hear peruse, I ask myself which definition was meant.  In addition, each time I want to use affect or effect I have to look them both up.

Please submit your “Word Chat” to: slonightwriters@yahoo.com

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