DATE	WORD	PRONUNCIATION	PART OF SPEECH	DEFINITION	SYNONYM	SAMPLE SENTENCE
10/2/06	Zealot	ZEL ut	Noun	A person filled with zeal & fervent enthusiasm a cause; devoted beyond reason	Supporter  Fanatic Devotee	The zealot tried to force his beliefs on everyone around him.  As the self-appointed defender of the family, our dog, Duke is our personal zealot.
10/3/06	Rhetorician	RET or ih shun	Noun	An eloquent writer or speaker; A rhetorician is a master of rhetoric, the art of speaking and writing		Frederick Douglass, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy were all great rhetoricians whose eloquent speeches inspired millions of people,
10/4/07	Exculpate	eks KULP ayt	Verb	To be freed from blame; to be declared innocent	To clear To exonerate	The prisoner was exculpated when the DNA results were presented to the jury.
10/5/06	Demise	dih MIZE	Noun	The end of something that used to exist; Ending in death; An old French word meaning to put down	End Termination Finish Failure	What happened to the dinosaurs?  Scientists now believe that a giant asteroid struck the earth about 65 million years ago causing the demise of the dinosaurs and many other plants and animals. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 brought about the final demise of the Whig Party and the rise of the Republican Party.
10/6/06	Reaffirm	ree ah FIRM	Verb	To affirm or assert again	Repeat Reiturate Copy Confirm	Given at the depth of the Depression Franklin Roosevelt's Inaugural address reaffirmed his belief in America when he said, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself". Given at the height of the Cold War, John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address reaffirmed his commitment to freedom when he pledged "to pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty".
10/9/06	Rebuff	rih BUFF	Verb	To repel or drive back; To bluntly reject	To snub Refuse Reject  Repulse	In the Movie, "Clueless", Cher claimed that Mr., Hall "brutally rebuffed" her plea to have her grade raised.
10/10/06	Complicity	kum PLIS uh tee	Noun	Association or participation in a wrongful act	Involvement Resonsibilty Collusion Participation	Both the original jurors and most modern scholars agree that convincing evidence linking Bruno Hauptmann to the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's baby firmly established complicity in what many now call the "crime of the century".  In contrast, both Biggie and Sean Combs denied any complicity in the murder of Tupac Shakur.
10/11/06	Innuendo	in yoo EN doh	Noun	A veiled hint of something improper; an insinuation, especially a negative reflection on a person's character or reputation	Suggestion Implication Intimation	The gossip column was filled with innuendoes about famous people.
	WORD	PRONUNCIATION	PART OF SPEECH	DEFINITION	SYNONYM	SAMPLE SENTENCE
10/12/06	Exonerate	eks ZAHN uh rayt	Verb	To be freed from blame; to be declared innocent	To clear To exculpate	The prisoner was exonerated when the DNA results were presented to the jury.
10/13/06	Bucolic	byoo KAHL ik	Noun	Rural; Pastoral	Rustic Country	The Hudson River School refers to a group of 19th  Century artists who idealized the bucolic beauty of the American landscape.
10/16/06	Pertinent	PUR tuh nunt	Adjective	Relevant; To the point; Necessary	applicable Related	50 Cent's autobiography From Pieces to Weight contains much pertinent information about the rap superstar's rise from Jamaica, Queens, to the top of the Billboard charts.
10/17/06	Impasse	im PASS	Noun	Deadlock; Stalemate; Situation in which an agreement is inconceivable	Standoff                    Gridlock	In the movie, "Anchorman" Ron and Veronica reached an impasse over her role on the nightly newscast.  In global affairs, negotiations with Iran have reached an impasse as its leaders refuse to curtail their nuclear arms programs.
10/18/06	Mediate	MEE dee ayt	Verb	To Arbitrate; Negotiate; Moderate	Intercede Referee Intervene	A mediator attempts to end an impasse by negotiating a compromise.  The purpose of a school's peer mediation group is to mediate a dispute by helping students reconcile their differences.
10/19/06	Unconventional	un kun VEN shun nuh bul	Adjective	Different; Unusual; Atypical	Eccentric Alternative	What do Thomas Jefferson and rap star Kanye West have in common?  Both illustrate the word unconventional.  As president, Jefferson could be shockingly unconventional.  He would receive callers in sloppy attire - once in a dressing gown and slippers.  And Kanye West's clothing is unconventional.  Unlike most rappers, Kanye prefers sports coats, pink shirts and Gucci loafers.
10/23/06	Entrepreneur	on tre PREN nyur	Noun	A person who organizes and manages a business or enterprise	Capitalist Industrialist	What do Bill Gates and 50 Cent have in common?  Both are entrepreneurs who have founded successful businesses.  Bill Gattes is the founder of Microsoft and 50 Cent's business empire includes G-Unit Records, G-Unit Clothing and G-Unit watches.
10/24/06	Lucrative	LUKE rah tiv	Adjective	Producing profit or wealth	Profitable                  Well-paid                 Rewarding               Worthwhile	I was able to pay all of my school expenses because my summer job was so lucrative.
DATE	WORD	PRONUNCIATION	PART OF SPEECH	DEFINITION	SYNONYM	SAMPLE SENTENCE
10/25/06	Affluent	AFF loo unt	Adjective	Very Wealthy	Rich Prosperous	In the movie "Trading Places" Eddie Murphy played a character who is originally destitute but becomes very affluent.
10/26/06	Preeminent	pree EM uh nunt	Adjective	Outstanding; Top Rank	Finest Unsurpassed	What do The Liberator and the New York Times have in common?  Both illustrate the word preeminent.  The Liberator was the preeminent abolitionist newspaper and the New York Times is America's preeminent source of news.
10/27/06	Diffident	DIF ih dent	Adjective	Lacking in self-confidence; the opposite of confident	Timid	The diffident student never made a single comment in class.
10/30/06	Capitulate	kuh PTCH uh layt	Verb	To surrender; to give up	Submit Yield Relent	On the twentieth day of the strike the workers capitulated and went back to work..  'Caput" means head in Latin.  In the middle ages if you capitulated your castle it usually meant you were going to have your head cut off.
10/31/06	Allusion	uh LOO zhun	Noun	An indirect or brief reference to a person, event, place, or phrase	Mention Hint Suggestion Insinuation	Everyone uses allusions.  For example, the two numbers 9/11 are an allusion to the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.  Allusions that are commonplace for readers in one era may require footnotes for readers in a late time.
Root Family of the Month
THE BEN / BENE / BON FAMILY				WELL GOOD	Benefit Beneficiary Beneficent Benefactor Benign Benediction	Something good that will improve your life Someone who receives something good as a result of action or change Doing good things to help people Someone who gives money for a good purpose Kind  and unlikely to hurt you A prayer that asks God to protect or help someone