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Iris (EYE-ris) noun, plural irises, irides

            1. The pigmented tissue of the eye in the center of which is the opening called the pupil.

            2. A rainbow.

            3. A showy, flowering plant.

[From Latin iris, from Greek Iris/iris (the goddess of the rainbow, rainbow).]

 

Vitreous (VI-tree-uhs) noun

            The clear, glassy, sticky inner substance of the eye.

adjective

            Glassy.

[From Latin vitreus (made of glass), from vitrum (glass).]

 

Dendriform (den-DRUH-form) adjective

            In the shape of a tree.

[From Greek dendron (tree), from which stem dendritic (treelike or tree-branch

like) and dendrochronology (the study of a tree's age by counting its rings).]

            Sometimes the agency that sent over housekeepers was less than thorough about screening applicants. Maraj discovered this the week she planned an A-list party.

            The male housekeeper who showed up to prep the condo for the decorators, caterer and staff looked strong, which was good; but, the heavy, sweeping movement of his thick, sandy-blond, dendriform hair reminded her of a weeping willow.

            The name tag on his orange, Izod polo shirt read “Ludy,” and his vitreous eyes hinted of long nights in the company of a water pipe. Maraj asked if he could make her windows sparkle.

            Ludy looked around the large, main room with its 18-ft windows, at the large table where a single iris rested peacefully in a glass vase, stared at the refrigerator much longer than necessary -- then turned around and left.

            Maraj was disgusted. She said to her cat, “No one wants to work anymore!” She would have to call Superior Interiors and ask them to find someone else to clean her place so the decorators could come in.

            Once she handed off that task, Maraj could finally take her sauna. – N

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Background: 

Along with countless other people the world over, I enjoy my subscription to A. Word. A. Day. that results in a daily email message with interesting, sometimes completely unknown-to-me words, along with pronounciation guide, etymology typical usage and more.

The New York Times hailed AWADmail as: "The most welcomed, most enduring piece of daily mass e-mail in cyberspace."

One day way back when, I decided that for learning, it would be helpful and fun to use the words AWAD sent to me in a sentence or two. Of course I found myself going beyond that and using them in not-so-obvious ways that entertained my friends as well as myself. Sometimes I use words incorrectly on purpose. But if you know the meaning, you get the joke. It is kind of a backward way of doing things, but that's creativity, right?

The first character inspired by AWAD was Maraj (not her real name.) She has quite a few fans. At the encouragement of several persistent friends, I decided it was time to share her and the others with my new friends here at OS, and begin on the first day of 2010. 

I'm offering vocabulary words I received from AWAD and what I wrote to practice using them. Tell me this isn't a much more fun way to work on improving one's vocabulary. Enjoy. Maraj and more will be back – and check out www.wordsmith.org to sign up for the free subscription. They don't know me, but for fun tell them I sent you. Like OS, it can be addictive. -- Natalie