sloughed -- Ann

slough 1  (sl, slou) also slew (sl) n. 1. A depression or hollow, usually filled with deep mud or mire. 2. also slue A stagnant swamp, marsh, bog, or pond, especially as part of a bayou, inlet, or backwater. 3. A state of deep despair or moral degradation. [Middle English, from Old English slh.] sloughy adj.

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slough 2  (slf) n. 1. The dead outer skin shed by a reptile or amphibian. 2. Medicine A layer or mass of dead tissue separated from surrounding living tissue, as in a wound, sore, or inflammation. 3. An outer layer or covering that is shed. v. sloughed, slough·ing, sloughs v.intr. 1. To be cast off or shed; come off: The snake's skin sloughs off. 2. To shed a slough. 3. Medicine To separate from surrounding living tissue. Used of dead tissue. v.tr. To discard as undesirable or unfavorable; get rid of: slough off former associates. [Middle English slughe.]

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

When Ann read the sentence, "Swede soughed in defeat," she tripped over the pronunciation because she was familiar with "slough" as in a snake sloughing its skin and "slough" pronounced "sloo" as in a stagnant swamp, but neither seemed to make sense in this context, probably because it was being used metaphorically. 

homily -- Todd

hom·i·ly  (hm-l) n. pl. hom·i·lies 1. A sermon, especially one intended to edify a congregation on a practical matter and not intended to be a theological discourse. 2. A tedious moralizing lecture or admonition. 3. An inspirational saying or platitude. [Middle English omelie, from Old French, from Late Latin homlia, from Greek homli, discourse, from homlos,crowd; see sem-1 in Indo-European roots.] homi·list n.

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

I hope Todd will deliver the homily at church on Christmas Eve, and I hope it's as good as his toasts. 

antipathy -- Sister Jen and Mom

an·tip·a·thy  (n-tp-th) n. pl. an·tip·a·thies 1. A strong feeling of aversion or repugnance. See Synonyms at enmity. 2. An object of aversion. [Latin antipatha, from Greek antipatheia, from antipaths, of opposite feelings : anti-, anti- + pathos,feeling; see pathos.]

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

Sister Jen has an antipathy for pretense, which she can spot as quickly as Mom can find a lost key. 

cacophony -- Little Brother Matt

ca·coph·o·ny  (k-kf-n) n. pl. ca·coph·o·nies 1. Jarring, discordant sound; dissonance: heard a cacophony of horns during the traffic jam. 2. The use of harsh or discordant sounds in literary composition, as for poetic effect. [French cacophonie, from Greek kakophni, from kakophnos, cacophonous; see cacophonous.]

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

Little Brother Matt is a poet, not in the style of modern cacophonies but of rhymes. 

importunate -- Kristin

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.

Kristin is an enthusiastic cake eater, but she's not importunate; she doesn't insist we buy her cakes though she does take a piece with lots of flowery icing when she gets the chance. 

seminal -- Isabella

sem·i·nal  (sm-nl) adj. 1. Of, relating to, containing, or conveying semen or seed. 2. Of, relating to, or having the power to originate; creative. 3. Highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development: a seminal idea in the creation of a new theory. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sminlis, from smen, smin-, seed; see semen.] semi·nal·ly adv.

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

When Isabella goes to college, I'm sure she'll study some of the seminal works of the Western tradition and perhaps of other traditions as well. 

ruminate --Jack

ru·mi·nate  (rm-nt) v. ru·mi·nat·ed, ru·mi·nat·ing, ru·mi·nates v.intr. 1. To turn a matter over and over in the mind. 2. To chew cud. v.tr. To reflect on over and over again. [Latin rminre, rmint-, from rmen, rmin-, throat.] rumi·native adj. rumi·native·ly adv. rumi·nator n.

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

Jack strikes me as a person who does not react quickly and violently when he is angry but who ruminates about the situation.