besotted -- Isabella and Sister Jen

be·sot  (b-st)

tr.v. be·sot·ted, be·sot·ting, be·sots

To muddle or stupefy, as with alcoholic liquor or infatuation.

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[be- + sot, to stupefy (from sot, fool; see sot) or from assot, to befool (from Old French assoter, fromsot, foolish).]

Sister Jen and now her daughter Isabella leave a trail of besotted young men wherever they go. 

postprandial --Jack

post·pran·di·al (pst-prnd-l) adj. Following a meal, especially dinner: took a postprandial walk through the woods. post·prandi·al·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 

As a teenage boy, Jack has only a brief moment of feeling postprandially satiated before he feels hungry again.

boondoggle -- Little Brother Matt's Birthday Word

boon·dog·gle (bndôgl, -dgl) Informal

n.

1. An unnecessary or wasteful project or activity.

2. a. A braided leather cord worn as a decoration especially by Boy Scouts.

b. A cord of braided leather, fabric, or plastic strips made by a child as a project to keep busy.

intr.v. boon·dog·gled, boon·dog·gling, boon·dog·gles

To waste time or money on a boondoggle.

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[Coined by Robert H. Link (died 1957), American scoutmaster.]

 

Little Brother Matt's past his boondoggling days; now more important projects--like parenting his lovely children or emailing his Big Sister Mary--win his attention.

Winsome -- Willie's Birthday Word

Innocently pleasing

Willie is a winsome young man, so I bet he'll forgive Auntie Mary for her tardiness in posting his birthday word.

Thanks for the word and the definition to http://www.factacular.com/subjects/Interesting_Words/2

autodidact -- Sam

au·to·di·dact (ôt-ddkt) n. A self-taught person. [From Greek autodidaktos, self-taught : auto-, auto- + didaktos, taught; see didactic.] auto·di·dactic adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 

Sam prefers being an online student to being a student in a classroom; I’m guessing he’d prefer being an autodidact if the state acknowledged his learning this way.

importunate -- Willie

im·por·tu·nate (m-pôrch-nt) adj. Troublesomely urgent or persistent in requesting; pressingly entreating: an importunate job seeker. im·portu·nate·ly adv. im·portu·nate·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 

Willie is an importunate seeker for an i-phone.

natatorium -- Hayden

an indoor swimming pool

Hayden's hoping there will be a natatorium at the hotel in Raleigh so that he can swim.

Thanks for the word and the definition to http://www.factacular.com/subjects/Interesting_Words 

Matutinal -- Lucie

active or wide awake in the morning.

Lucie's ten years old now, in the double digits, so like the rest of the Edwards side of her family she'll not be matutinal.

Thanks for the word and the definition to http://www.factacular.com/subjects/Interesting_Words

eructation -- Sister Jen's birthday word

e·ruc·ta·tion (-rk-tshn, rk-) n. The act or an instance of belching. e·ructa·tive (-rkt-tv) adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 

Sister Jen was proud of her ability to say the alphabet during an eructation when she was a child. (I wonder if she can still do it at the age of 46.)

Gretchen -- Gobemouche

One who believes any absurdity.
[Fr. French, literally, "with his mouth open swallowing flies."

Gretchen is sweet, but she's no gobemouche, so don't go trying to fool her.

Thanks for the word and the definition to http://www.factacular.com/subjects/Interesting_Words

salvo -- Dad

sal·vo 1 (slv) n. pl. sal·vos or sal·voes 1. a. A simultaneous discharge of firearms. b. The simultaneous release of a rack of bombs from an aircraft. c. The projectiles or bombs thus released. 2. Something resembling a release or discharge of bombs or firearms, as: a. A sudden outburst, as of cheers or praise. b. A forceful verbal or written assault. [Italian salva, from French salve, from Latin salv, hail, imperative of salvre, to be in good health, from salvus, safe; see sol- in Indo-European roots.]

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sal·vo 2 (slv) n. pl. sal·vos 1. A mental provision or reservation. 2. Law A saving clause. 3. An expedient for protecting one's reputation or for soothing one's conscience. [Latin salv (as in Medieval Latin salv ire, saving the right), ablative of salvus, safe; see safe.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 

Dad likes the salvos in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.