Word of the Week - recent winners

The Library runs competitions throughout the year, including Word of the Week. Below are some recent winners. This week on Simon Mayo's Drive time show on Radio 2, hermaphrodite, our word of the week in the Discovery Library, was mentioned in relation to pineapples.

If you have an interesting or unusual word that you want to share with everyone, please ask for an entry form in either of the Libraries.  The competition is available to enter in both the Discovery and War Memorial Libraries.  All Word of the Week winners receive a pen of their choice!

Discovery Library

Haphazard

Adjective: not organised or planned; slapdash.

chosen by Christopher (8MP)

Enrapture

Verb: To fill with intense delight.

chosen by Kursat (7BT)

   

Kerfuffle

Noun: A commotion or fuss.

chosen by Rebecca (8WN)

Excruciating

Adjective: Very intense [pain]; very embarrassing, awkward or tedious.

chosen by Megan (8FH)

Elucidate

Noun: To explain or clarify

chosen by Roseanna (8MP)

Vivid

Noun: (of colour) intensely deep and bright, like a rainbow: powerful feelings or strong clear memories in the mind.

chosen by Chloe (9VC)

Protestation

Noun: A strong declaration in response to doubt or accusation.

chosen by Ben (8SH)

Obstreperous

Verb: Noisy and difficult to control (making things difficult just for the sake of it). The slang version of this word is stroppy.

chosen by Charles (7AH)

Zionism

Noun: A movement for the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.

chosen by Melanie (8FH)

Vertigo

Noun:  A sensation of dizziness felt because ones balance is disturbed.

chosen by Kursat (7BT)

Tangible

Adjective: Something that can be touched or felt.

chosen by Oscar (7WL)

Nirvana

Noun: In Buddhism and Hinduism, the highest state of knowledge and understanding achieved by mediation.

chosen by Tom (7CT)

Picturesque

Adjective: Visually pleasing or quaint, as if resembling a picture.

chosen by Isabelle (8CS)

Abrasion

Noun: The process of scraping or wearing something away.  In Geography, rough seas fling pebbles against the rocks, these pebbles act like sandpaper.

chosen by Valon (9BL)

Preposterous

Adjective: Laughable, an idea that is obviously not realistic.

chosen by Rosanna (8MP)

Zodiac

Noun: In Astrology, a circular or elliptical diagram representing figures associated with constellations; an area of the sky through which the sun, moon and most of the planets appear to move, divided into twelve astrological signs each named for a constellation of stars.

chosen by Ali (7NE)

Stoic

Noun: A person who does whatever is thrown at them without showing their feelings or complaining.

chosen by Rosanna (8MP)

Hermaphrodite

Adjective: In Biology, an organism, such as an earth worm or flowering plant, that has both male and female reproductive organs.  

chosen by Suwarnan (8BA)

Lugubrious

Adjective: Laughable, an idea that is obviously not realistic.

chosen by Rosanna (8MP)

War Memorial Library

Tangential

Adjective: Of superficial relevance only; digressive

chosen by India Lindsay (13CP)

Conformity

Noun: Changing behaviour and/or beliefs in order to fit in with a group of people.

chosen by Harry (12CC)

Brachycephalic

Noun: Means short headed.  In dogs, it applies to breeds with a short snout or a broad short skull e.g. pugs.

chosen by Eloise (12HW)

Obnoxious

Noun: Extremely unpleasant.

chosen by Jordan (10 HY)

Melliflous

Adjective: Pleasant sounding and musical to hear.

chosen by Mahira (13CP)

Odious

Adjective: Extremely unpleasant, repulsive.

chosen by Geoffrey (10SY)

Aperçu

Noun: A comment or brief reference, which makes an illuminating or entertaining point.

chosen by Ms Roberts (Librarian)

Acrimonious

Adjective: Full of bitterness

chosen by James (12SS)

Exacerbate

Verb: To make a situation or problem worse.

chosen by Comert(10RE)

Psychocentric

Adjective: A psychological term for a person who prefers the familiar and is not open to new experiences.  Psychocentric travellers are said to prefer trips close to home and to seek familiar environments.

chosen by Christopher (13WB)

Usurp

Adjective: To take (a position of power/importance) illegally or by force.

chosen by Frankie (13ME)

Toponymy

Noun: The study of place-names of a region or language.

chosen by Mr Nazer (Science)

Monotropy

Noun:  In Psychology, the concept that infants have an innate and inborn capacity to attach primarily to a single caregiver or attachment figure. 

chosen by Eloise (12 HW)

Orthogonal

Adjective: Of or involving right angles; at right angles.  In statistics, it refers to the independence of variates.  

chosen by Frankie (13ME)

Factionalism

Adjective: Fragmentation of the political system into separate groups, who then compete for patronage. 

chosen by Mr Mills (History) 

Bildungsroman

Noun: A novel based upon the moral and psychological development of the main character from youth to adulthood; a coming-of-age- novel.

chosen by Mrs Nolan (Librarian) 

Garnish

Noun: A small amount of food used to decorate other food. 

chosen by Christopher (13WB) 

Luthier

Noun: A maker of stringed instruments, e.g. guitar and violin. 

chosen by Joe (12MC) 

TRS Carnegie Shadowing Group

A group of our Year 7 students at The Ravensbourne School have decided to shadow the CILIP Carnegie Children's Book Awards.  This involves reading, discussing and reviewing the eight shortlisted titles selected by the judges.

Take a look at our page on the Shadowing website here.

Easter Holiday Reading

Over the Easter holidays the Librarians enjoy making time to read, especially as we have just launched the Carnegie Shadowing Scheme and there are eight brilliant short listed books to read! Check out our Carnegie short list post for details.

From the short list, Mrs Nolan has just finished reading Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk, which is set in Pennsylvanian, USA, around the time of the second world war.  It tells the story of a young girl and her relationship with a local man, who chooses to live his life outside of the community, and how everything changes when a new girl comes to town.  A compelling read, it focuses on identity and friendship and not judging people on appearances.

Mrs Nolan is also reading Lydia: The Wild Girl of Pride & Prejudice by Natasha Farrant and came across a great quote:

“Don’t be afraid of books Miss Bennett. Simply treat them with the respect they deserve, and you will be richly rewarded.  You do not need to be clever or rich or have attended celebrated schools or universities in order to appreciate them.  It is enough simply to have an open and receptive mind – and, sometimes, it is true, a little perseverance.  But you must not be afraid, Miss Bennett, for books do not judge you.”

We look forward to hearing what you have been reading and are always keen to receive your book reviews, which we will post on this blog.