Big Words

I don't know why, but I really like big words. When I read them or hear them I attempt to define them in my head if I don't know them based upon sentence structure, or I define them smugly because I know THAT word.

My word for today is one that I stumbled across in a pleasantly well-written book that I'm reading.

elucidate (v.) [ih-loo-si-deyt]: 1. (used with object) to make lucid or clear; throw light upon; explain: an explanation elucidated his recent strange behavior. 2. (used without object) to provide clarification; explain.

Now let me elucidate upon my love of large words. Part of it is the study that shows that children who are read to every night before the age of 5 or 6 have a vocabulary that is easily 15,000 words greater than children who are not. My parents knew best, and read to me a lot. 

"Good readers have a diverse vocabulary. They ask questions when they are unclear about what a word means, they use the context of a conversation or the happenings in a book to decipher the meaning of unfamiliar words and they use varied vocabulary in referring to familiar objects (this bird is big, but this elephant is gigantic)."

And I read, a lot. And I like using what I know.

What is your word for today?

Ciao,
kc