brownstone
A brownstone is a multistory residential building—usually a row house in the Eastern United States—faced with red-brown sandstone carved in elaborate designs. In general, brownstones have a ground floor, a […]
Word Archive
hôtel particulier
oh-tell paw-teak-oo-LYAY´ An hôtel particulier is a large French townhouse, usually freestanding, set between an entrance court and a garden. Hôtels particuliers typically have at least three stories, with steep Mansard […]
co-op
COH´-ahp Co-op is short for cooperative, a building owned by shareholders, each of whom has the right to the use of an apartment within the building. Co-ops differ from condominiums […]
Gesamtkunstwerk
guh-ZAHMT´-koonst-vay´-ahk Gesamtkunstwerk is a German compound noun made up of gesamt (‘whole’), kunst (‘art’), and werk (‘work’). A Gesamtkunstwerk is a complete or unified work of art produced through a […]
Weltschmerz
VELT´-shmay´-ahts (German, literally ‘world pain’ or ‘world sorrow’) Weltschmerz, a fusion of the German welt (‘world’) and schmerz (‘pain’), is a state of sadness, generally brought on by comparing the […]
Wunderkind
VOON´-der-kint A Wunderkind, composed of the German wunder (‘wonder’) and kind (‘child’), is a prodigy, or person who succeeds in a difficult field at an early age. Since Wunderkind is capitalized […]
Schadenfreude
SHAH´-dun-fwoy-duh The term Schadenfreude, a combination of the German words schaden (damage) and freude (joy), means happiness obtained from the troubles and suffering of others. If your mother-in-law falls in […]
Snobb Report: galette
guh-LET´ Galette is the French term for a round, flat pastry, cake, or pancake. Galettes can be made of flaky pastry, potatoes, or a mixture of wheat and buckwheat flour. […]
bon mot
bone MOH´ A bon mot is a clever or witty remark. Plural: bons mots Donald seemed to have a droll bon mot for every occasion, which led to his reputation […]
mot juste
moh ZHOOST´ A mot juste is the perfect word or phrase for a particular occasion. Plural: mots justes As he writes his novels, Barnaby searches for the mot juste, the […]