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Cataract (KAT-uh-rakt) noun

            1. A clouding of the naturally occurring crystalline lens.

[From Latin cataracta (waterfall, portcullis), from Greek katarahaktes (downpour), from Greek katarassein (down rush), from Greek kata (down) + arassein (to strike). The medical term cataract stems from the sense of portcullis which is a falling gate or covering.]

Spectral (SPEK-truhl) adjective

            1. Pertaining to a light energy spectrum, usually the visible spectrum.

            2. Pertaining to a ghost, wraith, or apparition.

[From Latin spectrum (appearance), from Latin specere (to look at).]

            The shapes and colors that formed the enchanting, spectral cataract in the limited-edition Scottish paperweight Maraj held in her hands, caused a happy need to swirl in her heart. As she tried to mentally convert £634.00 to U.S. dollars, an impeccably-dressed sales associate approached and offered to answer any questions Maraj might have. “Well, I really love this, but I don’t know how much it is in American money.”

            With a royal-size interest in her cleavage unsuccessfully masked by a possibly practiced air of disdain, the tall, very British and very handsome clerk inquired, “Is that really of great importance? After all, you are in Harrod’s, the most prestigious store in the world.”

            Right. Maraj handed him her credit card, holding on to it a little longer than necessary so that he lifted his gaze to meet hers. Smiling she said, “I’ll take it. What else have you got that might interest me?” – N

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Yenta (YEN-tuh) noun

   A busybody or a gossip.

[From Yiddish yente, originally a female name.]

            Linda Elaine Tasker, the tireless and troublesome yenta of the yacht club, was desperate to make Maraj look bad in front of the gathering of CEOs of companies sponsoring this year’s Tour de France. However, by spreading gossip using poorly planned, inebriated, abbreviated, almost alien double-speak in her attempt to do her deed, Linda failed to make even a dent in the sparkling aura around Maraj, who was seated on a cushion on the top deck of the 90-foot vessel Restless Heart, enjoying a gentle breeze and attention from men who could afford her taste in romantic mementos.

            After suffering excruciating exclusion from the in-crowd and giving up on trying to relegate Maraj to the seats near the ladies room, Linda did what in her mind was the next best thing. She drew an ugly picture of Maraj on a napkin and casually left it on the counter at the coat check.

            Linda hadn’t changed much since fourth grade. – 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