This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website on May 26, 2014.
Let’s do a practice round!
Valorous means:
A) Aged
B) Elegant
C) Defeated
D) Brave
Shh! Listen to the Susurrus
June 2, 2014 by
If you live in a modern, fast-paced city, you may often feel bombarded by noise. Car horns, screeching tires and engine rumbles all contribute to the urban bustle.
That’s why it can be refreshing to have a change of scenery–and sound.
A walk in the woods, for example, can be quieter, but no less vibrant. If you listen carefully, you may be able to hear light, musical birdcalls, the crunch of twigs underfoot and the susurrus (see definition and hear pronunciation below) of the wind through the trees.
As Henry David Thoreau, the American author, said in his nonfiction masterpiece Walden: “We can never have enough of nature.”
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: Which do you prefer–the symphony of noise in the city or the susurrus of wind in the country?
Susurrus: A whispering or rustling sound.
Click to hear the pronunciation of susurrus:
Cool Word Challenge: Valorous and Apogee
May 30, 2014 by
Cool Word Challenge: Just for fun, come up with one sentence that uses both of the cool vocabulary words that you learned this week.
Here are the words again:
Valorous: Valiant; brave; showing courage.
Apogee: The highest point of something; culmination; the point in outer space that is farthest from Earth.
Submit your sentence below. The most creative ones that we receive will be published on our site!
The Apogee of Awards!
May 29, 2014 by
For professionals in such fields as physics, medicine and literature, there is no higher honor than the Nobel Prize.
It marks the apogee (see definition and hear pronunciation below) of a distinguished and fruitful career.
The award was first laid out in the will of Swedish chemist and industrialist Alfred Nobel, who became rich from his invention of dynamite.
Since 1901, the prizes have been presented each year (with very few exceptions) in Stockholm, Sweden.
Some of the most influential Nobel Laureates have included Albert Einstein, philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and chemist Marie Curie, also the first woman to receive the prize.
The youngest winner, physicist William Lawrence Bragg, was just 25 years old when he won the prize in 1915!
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What other honors or achievements do you think could be considered the apogee of a person’s life and work?
Apogee: The highest point of something; culmination; the point in outer space that is farthest from Earth.
Click to hear the pronunciation of apogee:
https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/apogee.mp3
Vocab Practice: Hinterland
May 28, 2014 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website on May 22, 2014.
Let’s do a practice round!
Hinterland means:
A) An area that is mostly covered by water
B) A remote region
C) An area that is accessible to all
D) A piece of agricultural land
Vocab Practice: Ubiquitous
May 27, 2014 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website on May 19, 2014.
Let’s do a practice round!
Ubiquitous means:
A) Being mainly in the sky
B) Being mostly in the north
C) Being everywhere at the same time
D) Being hard to find
Honoring Our Valorous Heroes
May 26, 2014 by
The Cool Word Club would like to commemorate Memorial Day by honoring the more than one million men and women who have died during US wars.
We salute their valorous (see definition and hear pronunciation below) service to our nation!
To learn more about the history of Memorial Day, go to:
http://www.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/history.asp
Valorous: Valiant; brave; showing courage.
Click to hear the pronunciation of valorous:
https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/valorous.mp3
Cool Word Challenge: Ubiquitous and Hinterland
May 23, 2014 by
Cool Word Challenge: Just for fun, come up with one sentence that uses both of the cool vocabulary words that you learned this week.
Here are the words again:
Ubiquitous: Existing or being everywhere at the same time; widespread.
Hinterland: An area that is not close to any cities or towns; a remote region.
Submit your sentence below. The most creative ones that we receive will be published on our site!
A Journey Through the Hinterlands
May 22, 2014 by
If you enjoy train rides, then Russia’s Trans-Siberian Railway is for you!
As the longest railway line in the world, it spans nearly 6,000 miles and seven time zones.
Started in 1891, the Trans-Siberian took 12 years to complete–a fast pace at the time! Workers had to struggle through unpopulated hinterlands (see definition and hear pronunciation below) to lay hundreds of miles of track each day.
The trains’ numerous routes now pass through desert lands, along the shores of glittering lakes and even through parts of China.
One of the most popular routes actually runs along the Great Wall of China before reaching its final destination!
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: Are there other places in the world that you would describe as hinterlands? Where are they?
Hinterland: An area that is not close to any cities or towns; a remote region.
Click to hear the pronunciation of hinterlands:
https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/hinterland.mp3
Vocab Practice: Quixotic
May 21, 2014 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website on May 15, 2014.
Let’s do a practice round!
Quixotic means:
A) Overly frugal
B) Unrelenting
C) Unrealistic
D) Well-planned
We're looking for the coolest of the cool words! Nominate and vote on words. See which ones your friends like best.
>> Winners Circle
Got something important to say? Send us your essays. Your work may be chosen as a guest blog for this website. 
Vote for your favorite word and see which words your friends think are cool!