Cool Word Club — Page 64

Are You DIURNAL or Nocturnal?

May 9, 2013 by Cool Word Club

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Sunrise is the start of the day for most humans. Their daily activities begin roughly at daybreak and continue throughout the day. For this reason, humans are said to be diurnal (see definition below).

Nocturnal animals, on the other hand, are active during the night and sleep during the day. Coyotes, foxes and skunks are just a few such animals.

While most humans sleep about seven to eight hours a night, nocturnal animals have a wide range of sleeping patterns during the day. The owl monkey, for example, sleeps up to 17 hours a day, giant armadillos snooze for about 18 hours daily and bats get up to 20 hours of Zzz’s each day.

Now, that’s a good amount of shut-eye!

Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What do you think the benefits would be if you were nocturnal?

DIURNAL: Occurring daily, active during the day.

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Vocabulary Practice: Remember CORPULENT?

May 8, 2013 by Cool Word Club

This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website May 2, 2013.

Let’s do a practice round!

Corpulent means:

A) Crowded
B) Secretive
C) Stuffy
D) Obese

VIEW ANSWER HERE

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Vocabulary Practice: Remember PUERILE?

May 7, 2013 by Cool Word Club

This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website April 29, 2013.

Let’s do a practice round!

Puerile means:

A) Pearly

B) Professional

C) Childish

D) Crooked

VIEW ANSWER HERE

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What an Elegant EDIFICE!

May 6, 2013 by Cool Word Club

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Could you imagine living in a house with 700 rooms?

There is such an edifice (see definition below), located just outside Paris, France.

Known as the Palace of Versailles, this elegant, one-time royal residence first began as a hunting lodge. But in 1661, the French King Louis XIV began transforming it into the palace that exists today.

Surrounded by magnificent gardens and fountains, the palace features an opulent Hall of Mirrors with enormous chandeliers, ornately painted ceilings and a spectacular display of sparkling mirrors.

The Hall of Mirrors is perhaps most famous for being the location where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending World War I in 1919.

This spectacular Versailles gallery boasts a total of 357 mirrors. So, no matter where visitors look, they’re likely to catch glimpses of themselves!

Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What would you consider to be the most remarkable edifice in your hometown?

EDIFICE: A building, especially a large, imposing structure.

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What a CORPULENT Creature!

May 2, 2013 by Cool Word Club

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Can you name the largest animal on earth? You might think it’s the elephant.

But the correct answer is actually a marine mammal–the blue whale. These enormous creatures can measure up to 100 feet long and weigh as much as 200 tons.

When it comes to land animals, however, the African elephant does top the list as the most corpulent (see definition below) animal, weighing about 7 tons.

Other weighty creatures include the white rhinoceros and the hippopotamus, both of which can tip the scales at up to 4 tons.

Even so, these animals still don’t compare to the massive size of the blue whale. Believe it or not, the blue whale sometimes eats up to 4 tons of krill a day.

Now that’s a very big meal!

Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What types of advantages do you think that a corpulent creature might have in the animal kingdom?

CORPULENT: Fat, obese.

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Vocabulary Practice: Remember MAXIM?

May 1, 2013 by Cool Word Club

This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website April 25, 2013.

Let’s do a practice round!

Maxim means:

A) A hurried comment
B) A congenial man
C) A huge piece of candy
D) A general principle

VIEW ANSWER HERE

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Vocabulary Practice: Remember OSCULATE?

April 30, 2013 by Cool Word Club

This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website April 22, 2013.

Let’s do a practice round!

Osculate means:

A) To kiss
B) To turn in circles
C) To trip and fall
D) To tell silly jokes

VIEW ANSWER HERE

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A Bit Too PUERILE?

April 29, 2013 by Cool Word Club

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Clowns love to make people laugh!

Decked out in their red, plastic noses, makeup and outrageous hats, they perform all sorts of antics to amuse their audiences.

Good clowns rely on a wide range of tricks. They make silly faces, juggle balls, throw pies and often ride a one-wheel cycle called a unicycle.

Some people enjoy watching clowns. But others find their type of humor to be a bit too puerile (see definition below).

In some cases, people think that clowns are even scary. If someone has an extreme fear of clowns, that person is said to suffer from “coulrophobia.”

So if you’re invited to a circus, be forewarned. You’re likely to see some those jocular characters clowning around!

Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What do you think of the type of entertainment provided by clowns?

PUERILE: Childish, juvenile, silly.

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A MAXIM to Live By

April 25, 2013 by Cool Word Club

maxim-cool-words-vocabulary-for-students If you have a problem that you’re not sure how to solve, there might be a maxim (see definition below) that will help guide you. Consider these:

“Actions speak louder than words”

“Less is more.”

“All good things come to those who wait.”

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

“Buyer beware!”

“Work smarter, not harder.”

These little nuggets of truth, which are sometimes also referred to as adages, are frequently quoted because they can apply to any number of different situations.

In many cases, you can find the answer you need by turning to the carefully chosen words in one of these maxims!

Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What is your favorite maxim, and why does it have meaning for you?

MAXIM: A short, pithy general principle or truth.

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