Wordy Days #4!

Words from last week:

1. archaic  [ahr-key-ik]  adj
1. marked by the characteristics of an earlier period; antiquated: an archaic manner; an archaic notion.
2. (of a linguistic form) commonly used in an earlier time but rare in present-day usage except to suggest the older time, as in religious rituals or historical novels. Examples: thou; wast; methinks; forsooth.
3. forming the earliest stage; prior to full development: the archaic period of psychoanalytic research.
4. ( often initial capital letter  ) pertaining to or designating the style of the fine arts, especially painting and sculpture, developed in Greece from the middle 7th to the early 5th century b.c., chiefly characterized by an increased emphasis on the human figure in action, naturalistic proportions and anatomical structure, simplicity of volumes, forms, or design, and the evolution of a definitive style for the narrative treatment of subject matter. 
5. primitive; ancient; old: an archaic form of animal life.
2. doyen  [doi-en, doi-uhn; French dwa-yan]  
1. the senior member, as in age, rank, or experience, of a group, class, profession, etc.
3. abject  [ab-jekt, ab-jekt]  adj
1. utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched: abject poverty.
2. contemptible; despicable; base-spirited: an abject coward.
3. shamelessly servile; slavish.
4. Obsolete . cast aside.
4. segue  [sey-gwey, seg-wey] verb, se·gued, se·gue·ing, noun
1. verb (used without object)
1. to continue at once with the next musical section or composition (often used as a musical direction).
2. to perform in the manner of the preceding section (used as a musical direction).
3. to make a transition from one thing to another smoothly and without interruption: The conversation segued from travel anecdotes to food.
2. noun
1. an uninterrupted transition made between one musical section or composition and another.
2. any smooth, uninterrupted transition from one thing to another.
5. languid  [lang-gwid]  adj
1. lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow: a languid manner.
2. lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent.
3. drooping or flagging from weakness or fatigue; faint.
6. astute  [uh-stoot, uh-styoot]  adj
1. of keen penetration or discernment; sagacious: an astute analysis.
2. clever; cunning; ingenious; shrewd: an astute merchandising program; an astute manipulation of facts.
7. sagacious  [suh-gey-shuhs] adj
1. having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd: a sagacious lawyer.
2. Obsolete . keen of scent.
8. du jour  [duh zhoor, doo; French dy zhoor]  noun
1. as prepared on the particular day; of the kind being served today: The soup du jour is split pea.
2. fashionable; current: environmentalism and other issues du jour.
9. nexus  [nek-suhs] noun, plural nex·us·es, nex·us.
1. a means of connection; tie; link.
2. a connected series or group.
3. the core or center, as of a matter or situation.
4. Cell Biology . a specialized area of the cell membrane involved in intercellular communication and adhesion.
10. incredulous  [in-krej-uh-luhs] adj
1. not credulous; disinclined or indisposed to believe; skeptical.
2. indicating or showing unbelief: an incredulous smile.

Words for this week:

Note that this week and probably the next week or so, I'm going to treat you guys to some lovely legal terms. See during the summer, I thought I wanted to be a paralegal, so I rented some law books from the library and wrote down all the words I didn't know. Most of them ended up being legal terms. 

1. gesticulate  [je-stik-yuh-leyt]
1. verb (used without object)
1. to make or use gestures, especially in an animated or excited manner with or instead of speech.
2. verb (used with object)
1. to express by gesturing.
2. egregious  [ih-gree-juhs, -jee-uhs] adj
1. extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant: an egregious mistake; an egregious liar. Synonyms: gross, outrageous, notorious, shocking. Antonyms: tolerable, moderate, minor, unnoticeable.
2. Archaic. distinguished or eminent.
3. acquiesce  [ak-wee-es] verb (used without object)
1. to assent tacitly; submit or comply silently or without protest; agree; consent: to acquiesce halfheartedly in a business plan.
4. commodious  [kuh-moh-dee-uhs] adj
1. spacious and convenient; roomy: a commodious apartment.
2. ample or adequate for a particular purpose: a commodious harbor.
5. incommunicado  [in-kuh-myoo-ni-kah-doh] adj
1. (especially of a prisoner) deprived of any communication with others.
6. replete  [ri-pleet] adj
1. abundantly supplied or provided; filled (usually followed by with  ): a speech replete with sentimentality.
2. stuffed or gorged with food and drink.
3. complete: a scholarly survey, replete in its notes and citations.
4. noun
1. Entomology . (among honey ants) a worker with a distensible crop in which honeydew and nectar are stored for the use of the colony.
7. connivance  [kuh-nahy-vuhns]  noun
1. the act of conniving.
2. Law.
1. tacit encouragement or assent (without participation) to wrongdoing by another.
2. the consent by a person to a spouse's conduct, especially adultery, that is later made the basis of a divorce proceeding or other complaint.
8. appellate  [uh-pel-it]  adj
1.  Law.
1. of or pertaining to appeals.
2. having the power or authority to review and decide appeals, as a court.
9. compurgation  [kom-per-gey-shuhn] noun
1. an early common-law method of trial in which the defendant is acquitted on the sworn endorsement of a specified number of friends or neighbors.
10. appertain  [ap-er-teyn] verb (used without object)
1. to belong as a part, right, possession, attribute, etc.; pertain or relate (usually followed by to  ): privileges that appertain to members of the royal family.

Sincerely,

Sareh

Linking Announcement!

So this morning, I was reading a blog post about seo and links (and if you don't know what SEO is, don't worry, I didn't know either until I read it. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which is what your rank basically is on search engines like Google. Or where you appear when someone searches something.) when I stumbled across their recommendation for using this site called Broken Link Checker that you can use to go through your blog or website and it checks for any bad or broken links for free. Cool, right?

Yep, but it can also be a pain when you find out how many you actually have. So after using it this morning and I discovered a horrifying amount, I've decided to go through all my posts and whatnot and get rid of any broken or bad links.

But while that could potentially get rid of any links in certain posts, I've decided that I'll update the links on certain blog posts if there's any new information I can find. Also guaranteeing that all the links work and the post information will be updated.

Nice, right? I hope so.

Sincerely,
Sareh

"Its Okay to be Average"-

-as a speech I just heard recently was about. But this post is not about speeches, or the fact that I was even in speech for all of three weeks, its about...

...its okay if your first draft sucks.

Because here are 5 simple truths you just have to remember.

#1 Your first draft is to just get everything down. 

#2 Don't worry about the word or grammar or anything else, because your second, third, and so on draft is for fixing problems. 

#3 Your first draft is going to suck compared to the finished product. 

#4 Its okay is you delete characters halfway through or completely change the plot...because you can fix that in the next drafts. 

#5 You don't have to show your first draft to anyone, so its okay if its horrible. 

One of the reasons I'm writing this post, is because this has been brought to my attention quite recently. As I'm four chapters away from finishing Night Lies, I've gone into this state of "writerly perfection" where I feel as if whatever I write has to be perfect.

But as I was talking to some of my writer friends, I was reminded that this is only the first draft and its okay if it sucks. I don't have to write this chapter perfectly because its not suppose to be perfect the first time around. And that there's always the second draft, and the third draft, and so on, so forth to make it better.

Another truth I was reminded of, and one that my friends and I seem to suffer from sometimes is a case of "first draft perfection." Now I'm sure we're not alone in this, as I'm sure there's a lot of other writers out there who want their first drafts to be perfect, but one of my friends pointed it out the other day to me.

See, in our case, we're so accustomed to critiquing things so thoroughly and wanting to make our writing the best, that sometimes we fall into the traps that our writing has to be perfect the first time around to be good. But, as my friend said, we should back to how it was in the beginning, when we wrote just for the fun of it, not caring about impressing anymore or even needing to show it to someone.

And she's right. While it is good to constantly want to make your writing the best it can be and always improve, its also good to take a step back and relax. Your writing doesn't always have to be perfect, in fact, it doesn't even have to be good. You don't have to show your writing to anyone if you don't want to, and especially in the first draft, its okay if it sucks.

Because the first draft is just for brain storming and writing. You don't even have to write the story coherently. One of my friends half way through her novel, completely changed the whole thing and at least, three times, has changed the main character's hair color.

Which is another thing to remember. Whatever you write in the first draft isn't concrete, it doesn't have to be. Sure you're going to keep the awesome parts, but for the most part, a lot of what you write in the first draft is going to change by the time you're done with it fully. And that's fine.

So, when you're writing your first draft, even maybe the second time around (and yes it can happen), don't worry if that scene isn't going right and you can't figure out why. Leave it alone for a while, and then come back to it because in the first draft, your main goal is to write the story however its suppose to be and figure out things about it.

Don't worry if you're way over the word count (Night Lies was originally suppose to be 80,000 words long, but now its up to 137k and counting!), or way below, because when you get to the second draft, that's when you can add or delete stuff.

The second draft is for fixing those blinding errors, like spelling mistakes, and those plot holes. Maybe even rewriting the beginning or half of the novel. And with every draft, it'll get better till one draft, its finished, polished, and complete to its fullest.

 The first draft is a little scary, a little frightening, but its also a wonderful experience.  And if you find yourself unable to finish it because of that scene or whatever, you're not alone. But just remember to sit back and enjoy yourself because you're on an adventure, learning things you never expected. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be embarrassed, you'll smile to yourself over that one scene, and when you're done, you can celebrate.

Therefore, when you find yourself writing and you're panicking over that scene about getting it right the first time around, take a breath and remember, you can always fix it later. Just concentrate about exploring your novel and don't worry about the little things, because that time will come, but for now relax and enjoy the ride. You'll be glad you did.

Have you ever found yourself panicking about getting it perfect? Or are you there now? If you've gone through it, feel free to share what got you through it or what's bothering you right now!

Sincerely,
Sareh

Historical facts- Avengers of Blood and Cities of Refuge

For those who have never taken the time to sit down and study the Bible (don't worry, I haven't read the whole entire thing yet either. Most of it, but not all of it), there's an interesting part in the Old Testament called the "avenger of blood" and another part that goes along with it called the "cities of refuge".

Back in the day, in the Old Testament after God freed the children of Israel from Egypt and led them to where present day Israel is now, the Israelites were told to conquer the land given to them and build their cities and new lives there.

So before they got to cross over the Jordan river, God told them specific things. One of those things involved the towns of the Levites (who were the special tribe of Israel to be priests for the people). Of the Levite cities, six of them were to be "cities of refuge".

Deuteronomy 19: 1-3 "When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses, ² then set aside for yourselves three cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. ³ Determine the distances involved and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities."

Deuteronomy 19: 8-10 " If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he promised on oath to your ancestors, and gives you the whole land he promised them, ⁹ because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him—then you are to set aside three more cities. ¹⁰ Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed." 

What were the Avengers of Blood?
The Old Testament says that the avenger of blood (also translated as "kinsman-redeemer" (Ru 3:9) or "Redeemer" (Ps 19:14))  is someone chosen from among the nearest living relative of a murdered person to avenge their death and kill the killer. (Lev 24: 17, Nu 35:16- 28)

^{(Numbers 35: 16-21) 16} “‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁷ Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if anyone is holding a wooden object and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁹ The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death. ²⁰ If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die ²¹ or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death; that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when they meet.

Which works out okay when the murder is actually a murder, but what about the people who accidently killed someone? Well God thought of that too.

The cities of refuge were built so that

Joshua 20: 3" ³ so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood."

Deuteronomy 19: 4-7 " This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. ⁵ For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. ⁶ Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought.⁷ This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities." 

Choosing the cities. 

Numbers 35: 6- 15 says "⁶ “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. ⁷ In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. ⁸ The towns you give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few from one that has few.”⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses: ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, ¹¹ select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. ¹² They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial before the assembly. ¹³ These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge. ¹⁴ Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. ¹⁵ These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there."

 Joshua 20: 7-9 "⁷ So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly."

How did the cities work? 

Joshua 20: 1-6 "Then the Lord said to Joshua: ² “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, ³ so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood. ⁴ When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. ⁵ If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. ⁶ They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”

Joshua 20, Dueteronomy 19, and Numbers 35: 6-34 all speak of the cities and how they are to function, and because a lot of it is spread across those verses and I'm sure you don't want to read all of it, I'll just summarize it my best here.

So basically, if the killer was innocent, they could flee to the nearest city of refuge closest to them.  Once they reached the city's gates (provided the avenger of blood didn't catch up with them first), they could go to the elders of the city at the gates and state their case to them. If the killer is innocent, the elders weren't suppose to hand over the killer to the avenger before the killer had stood trial. And being found guilty, was to stay there in that city until the high priest at that time had died., because if the avenger ever found him outside the cities gates before then, he could kill the innocent man. But after the high priest had died he could return home.

But if the killer wasn't innocent, and they got to the city of refuge, the elders of that city were to hand the killer back to their own city from which they came from where the avenger of blood could kill them for their crime.

But how did the elders decide if one was innocent or not? First the elders heard both cases between the avenger and the accused. Then Numbers 35: 30 tells us that the murder could only be killed if there was a testimony of witnesses, and it couldn't have been just one witness, there had to be more. Numbers also tells us that the elders weren't to accept bribes to either let the killer live if he was guilty or to send the innocent one back to his city before the high priest had died.

So when you think about it...
This actually sounds like it could be turned into a pretty interesting story. Which is what I've decided to do for a newest plot bunny. The story is going to be told from the POV of this girl Maryam who's to be married to this boy, Gideon. Well Gideon's twin attacks Maryam and she kills him in self defense. Since it looks like a murder, Gideon becomes his brother's avenger of blood and has to go after her. So she has to flee to the nearest city of refuge before he gets to her.

Resources:
Numbers 35: 6-34
Deuteronomy 19
Joshua 20

Sincerely,
Sareh

Answers to Questions on Elvish Post.

On how to write:

"Makayla"

"Strength"

"Kelley"

Wordy Days #3.

(URL source?)

So as I was writing this post, I suddenly realized that I actually know the meaning of quite a few words I used this week for this. And as I realize this, I didn't want to post the words, because I already knew them. But then I realized just because I know what a word means, doesn't meant other people will.

Which brings me to this point. If you're anything like me, you read a lot, and when you've been reading a lot you tend to be able to pick up on the meanings of words easily without ever having looked them up. And this is because you're able to use the context of the sentence or whatever to figure it out.

Which comes in handy but at the same time, its annoying when I'm in English class and the teacher has to explain what ten different words mean just because my classmates can't figure it out by the context, and I've already figured it out.

Anyways.

Words from last week: 

1. magnanimous- [mag-nan-uh-muhs] adj. 
1.  Generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: to be magnanimous toward one's enemies.
2. High-minded; noble: a just and magnanimous ruler.
3. Proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.: a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness.
2. uncouth-  [uhn-kooth]  adj
1. awkward, clumsy, or unmannerly: uncouth behavior; an uncouth relative who embarrasses the family.
2. strange and ungraceful in appearance or form.
3. unusual or strange.
3. raucous  [raw-kuhs]  Adj
1. harsh; strident; grating: raucous voices; raucous laughter.
2. rowdy; disorderly: a raucous party.
4. finagle  [fi-ney-guhl] verb
1. verb (used with object)
1. to trick, swindle, or cheat (a person) (often followed by out of  ): He finagled the backers out of a fortune.
2. to get or achieve (something) by guile, trickery, or manipulation: to finagle an assignment to the Membership Committee.
2. verb (used without object)
1. to practice deception or fraud; scheme.
5. nefarious  [ni-fair-ee-uhs] adj
1. extremely wicked or villainous; iniquitous: a nefarious plot.
6. lambaste  [lam-beyst, -bast] verb (used with object)
1. to beat or whip severely.
2. to reprimand or berate harshly; censure; excoriate.
1. Use in a sentence: After Jesus was sentenced, he was lambasted. 
7. hamartia  [hah-mahr-tee-uh] noun
1. tragic flaw.
1. Use in a sentence: Sareh's hamartia was that she worried too much. 
8. ennui  [ahn-wee, ahn-wee; French ahn-nwee] noun
1. a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom: The endless lecture produced an unbearable ennui.
9. crepuscular  [kri-puhs-kyuh-ler] adj
1. of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim; indistinct.
2. Zoology . appearing or active in the twilight, as certain bats and insects.
1. Use in a sentence: Through the tree branches, Julia could have sworn it was night even though her watch said it was lunch time in the crepuscular light. 
10. outmoded  [out-moh-did]  adj
1. gone out of style; no longer fashionable: outmoded styles.
2. not acceptable by present standards; no longer usable; obsolete: outmoded dwellings; outmoded teaching methods.

Words for this Week:

1. archaic  [ahr-key-ik]  adj
1. marked by the characteristics of an earlier period; antiquated: an archaic manner; an archaic notion.
2. (of a linguistic form) commonly used in an earlier time but rare in present-day usage except to suggest the older time, as in religious rituals or historical novels. Examples: thou; wast; methinks; forsooth.
3. forming the earliest stage; prior to full development: the archaic period of psychoanalytic research.
4. ( often initial capital letter  ) pertaining to or designating the style of the fine arts, especially painting and sculpture, developed in Greece from the middle 7th to the early 5th century b.c., chiefly characterized by an increased emphasis on the human figure in action, naturalistic proportions and anatomical structure, simplicity of volumes, forms, or design, and the evolution of a definitive style for the narrative treatment of subject matter. 
5. primitive; ancient; old: an archaic form of animal life.
2. doyen  [doi-en, doi-uhn; French dwa-yan]  
1. the senior member, as in age, rank, or experience, of a group, class, profession, etc.
3. abject  [ab-jekt, ab-jekt]  adj
1. utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched: abject poverty.
2. contemptible; despicable; base-spirited: an abject coward.
3. shamelessly servile; slavish.
4. Obsolete . cast aside.
4. segue  [sey-gwey, seg-wey] verb, se·gued, se·gue·ing, noun
1. verb (used without object)
1. to continue at once with the next musical section or composition (often used as a musical direction).
2. to perform in the manner of the preceding section (used as a musical direction).
3. to make a transition from one thing to another smoothly and without interruption: The conversation segued from travel anecdotes to food.
2. noun
1. an uninterrupted transition made between one musical section or composition and another.
2. any smooth, uninterrupted transition from one thing to another.
5. languid  [lang-gwid]  adj
1. lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow: a languid manner.
2. lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent.
3. drooping or flagging from weakness or fatigue; faint.
6. astute  [uh-stoot, uh-styoot]  adj
1. of keen penetration or discernment; sagacious: an astute analysis.
2. clever; cunning; ingenious; shrewd: an astute merchandising program; an astute manipulation of facts.
7. sagacious  [suh-gey-shuhs] adj
1. having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd: a sagacious lawyer.
2. Obsolete . keen of scent.
8. du jour  [duh zhoor, doo; French dy zhoor]  noun
1. as prepared on the particular day; of the kind being served today: The soup du jour is split pea.
2. fashionable; current: environmentalism and other issues du jour.
9. nexus  [nek-suhs] noun, plural nex·us·es, nex·us.
1. a means of connection; tie; link.
2. a connected series or group.
3. the core or center, as of a matter or situation.
4. Cell Biology . a specialized area of the cell membrane involved in intercellular communication and adhesion.
10. incredulous  [in-krej-uh-luhs] adj
1. not credulous; disinclined or indisposed to believe; skeptical.
2. indicating or showing unbelief: an incredulous smile.

Resources

Dictionary.com

* The underline, bold faced words are links in case its really hard to tell. 

Sincerely,

Sareh

P.S I would love to see you guys use some of these words in sentences below in the comments! Or if anything, suggest new words for me to share and learn!

Picture!

"Did you know" always has really interesting posts, but I never know if they're actually true or not...

Wordy Tuesdays #2

So I've been wanting to do this for a while because I believe that learning new words can help us in other things besides writing. They can help us better express ourselves, understand others, and well, impress your friends!

And who doesn't want to impress their friends with their superior vocabulary?

Words from last week (*cough last time cough*)

1. Lusus Naturae- [loo-suhs nuh-toor-ee, -tyoor-ee]- n. A deformed person or thing; freak. 
1. Variant felt like a lusus naturae when people made fun of her name. 
2. Telesthesia- [tuhl-uhs-thee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh]- N. sensation or perception received at a distance without the normal operation of the recognized sense organs.
1. Juan was gifted with telesthesia, which allowed him to guess the answers to his test from reading his teacher's mind. 
3. Ignoramus- [ig-nuh-rey-muhs, -ram-uhs]- N. an extremely ignorant person.
1. The kid who did not study for the history test was cleary an ignoramus. 
4. Thaumaturgy- [thaw-muh-tur-jee]- N. the working of wonders or miracles; magic.
1. Harry Potter was knew how to use thaumaturgy because he was a wizard. 
5. Tellurian- [te-loor-ee-uhn]- Adj. of or characteristic of the earth or its inhabitants;terrestrial.
1. Trees are a tellurian part of the world. 
6. Antediluvian- [an-tee-di-loo-vee-uhn]- Adj. of or belonging to the period before the Flood. Gen. 7, 8.
   2.
   

   very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated;primitive: antediluvian ideas.

   1. The fashion styles of the 1700s are now antediluvian compared to today's fashion ideals. 
7. Ephemeral- [ih-fem-er-uhl]- Adj. lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.
   2.
   

   lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.

   1. Horse flies are ephemeral creatures. 
8. Chimerical- [ki-mer-i-kuhl, -meer-, kahy-]- Adj. unreal; imaginary; visionary: a chimerical terrestrial paradise.
   2.
   

   wildly fanciful; highly unrealistic: a chimerical plan.

   1. Back before the 1960s, the idea that man would walk on the moon was a chimerical idea. 
9. Quixotic- [kwik-sot-ik]- Adj. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) resembling or befitting DonQuixote.
   2.
   

   extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical,or impracticable.
   3.
   

   impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.

   1. The extravagant decoration of the birthday hall was quite quixotic with the balloons that spilled out over the chairs and the glitter thrown every where. 
10. Amaranthine- [am-uh-ran-thin, -thahyn]- Adj. of or like the amaranth.
    2.
    

    unfading; everlasting: a woman of amaranthine loveliness.
    3.
    

    of purplish-red color.

    1. There is said to be a jellyfish that is amaranthine for whenever it 'dies' it is 'reborn' into a new jellyfish.

Words for this week:

1. magnanimous- [mag-nan-uh-muhs] adj. 
1.  Generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: to be magnanimous toward one's enemies.
2. High-minded; noble: a just and magnanimous ruler.
3. Proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.: a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness.
2. uncouth-  [uhn-kooth]  adj
1. awkward, clumsy, or unmannerly: uncouth behavior; an uncouth relative who embarrasses the family.
2. strange and ungraceful in appearance or form.
3. unusual or strange.
3. raucous  [raw-kuhs]  Adj
1. harsh; strident; grating: raucous voices; raucous laughter.
2. rowdy; disorderly: a raucous party.
4. finagle  [fi-ney-guhl] verb
1. verb (used with object)
1. to trick, swindle, or cheat (a person) (often followed by out of  ): He finagled the backers out of a fortune.
2. to get or achieve (something) by guile, trickery, or manipulation: to finagle an assignment to the Membership Committee.
2. verb (used without object)
1. to practice deception or fraud; scheme.
5. nefarious  [ni-fair-ee-uhs] adj
1. extremely wicked or villainous; iniquitous: a nefarious plot.
6. lambaste  [lam-beyst, -bast] verb (used with object)
1. to beat or whip severely.
2. to reprimand or berate harshly; censure; excoriate.
1. Use in a sentence: After Jesus was sentenced, he was lambasted. 
7. hamartia  [hah-mahr-tee-uh] noun
1. tragic flaw.
1. Use in a sentence: Sareh's hamartia was that she worried too much. 
8. ennui  [ahn-wee, ahn-wee; French ahn-nwee] noun
1. a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom: The endless lecture produced an unbearable ennui.
9. crepuscular  [kri-puhs-kyuh-ler] adj
1. of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim; indistinct.
2. Zoology . appearing or active in the twilight, as certain bats and insects.
1. Use in a sentence: Through the tree branches, Julia could have sworn it was night even though her watch said it was lunch time in the crepuscular light. 
10. outmoded  [out-moh-did]  adj
1. gone out of style; no longer fashionable: outmoded styles.
2. not acceptable by present standards; no longer usable; obsolete: outmoded dwellings; outmoded teaching methods.

Resources: 

Dictionary.com

*Note that none of the definitions are mine, only the sentences where it says "use in a sentence" are mine. 

Sincerely,

Sareh