Four Words, One Meaning Trivia Quiz

Answer: Quixotic

The "Merriam-Webster Dictionary" defines quixotic as 'foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals; especially : marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action'. The origin of the word is found in the hero of the Michael Cervantes novel, "El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha", Don Quixote.

Answer: Jocose

The "Oxford Dictionary of English" defines jocose as 'playful or humorous'. The origin of the word comes from the Latin 'jocus', meaning joke. There is an educational toy company named Jocus. According to research done at the University of Wolverhampton, a joke about passing gas from ancient Sumer (Sumerians), is thought of to be the world's oldest known joke. Having a jocose personality, can then be traced back at least as far as 1900 BC.

Answer: Ubiquitous

The "Merriam-Webster Dictionary" definition for ubiquitous is 'existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly'. According to the same source, the word originated in 1830. The noun ubiquity, however, arrived in print in the 16th century. The word is derived from the Latin 'ubīque', meaning everywhere.

Answer: Garrulous

Garrulous is defined as 'given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity : pointlessly or annoyingly talkative' by the "Merriam-Webster Dictionary". The word is derived from the Latin word 'garrire', meaning to babble. Another synonym for garrulous is given as flatulent, which does have multiple meanings. So, using the sentence, "blame the dog, he is garrulous", would be completely incorrect.

Answer: Nebulous

From the Latin word 'nebulosus', meaning misty, the "Oxford Dictionary of English" defines the word as 'in the form of a cloud or haze; hazy and (of a concept) vague or ill-defined'. Interestingly, the Latin nebulosus has a meteorological use too. It is the name for a cloud species consisting of a veil of cloud with no distinct shape, related to stratus genera and cirrostratus.

Answer: Didactic

'Didaktikos' is Greek for 'apt at teaching' and didactic is derived from this word. The "Merriam-Webster Dictionary" defines the word as 'designed or intended to teach people something'. Didactism is a philosophy 'emphasizing instructional and informative qualities in literature and other types of art'.

Many of the Greek writers, such as Homer and Ovid, made use of this philosophy, but even more modern authors, such as Alexander Pope and Evelyn Waugh, did too. Edgar Allan Poe referred to didacticism as the worst heresy.

Answer: Fallacious

Fallacy is derived from the Latin 'fallax', meaning deceptive. Fallacious is the adjective based on the noun. The "Oxford Dictionary of English" definition is given as 'based on a mistaken belief'. Fallacy, the noun from which the adjective fallacious is derived, can be divided into 'formal' and 'informal'. Formal fallacy falls into a system of logic, namely propositional logic, while informal fallacy is more an error in reasoning.

Answer: Insidious

The "Oxford Dictionary of English" definition of insidious is 'proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects'. According to the dictionary, there are four possible origins of this word, all of them Latin. 'Insidiosus' meaning 'cunning', 'insidiae' meaning 'an ambush or trick', 'insidere' meaning 'lie in wait for' or from in- 'on' + 'sedere' meaning 'sit'.

Some diseases are referred to as insidious, as they cause harm without any symptoms being present.

Answer: Capricious

Originating from the French word 'capricieux' or possibly from the Italian 'capriccioso', the "Oxford Dictionary of English" defines the word as 'given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour'. Capricious is used in law too. As per "Burton's Legal Thesaurus", the legal definition is given as 'unpredictable and subject to whim, often used to refer to judges and judicial decisions which do not follow the law, logic or proper trial procedure.

A semi-polite way of saying a judge is inconsistent or erratic'.

Answer: Axiomatic

Defined by the "Oxford Dictionary of English" as 'self-evident or unquestionable', the word originates from the Greek 'axiōmatikos', from 'axiōma' meaning 'what is thought fitting'. An axiom is a 'self-evident or universally recognised truth'. Axioms in mathematics and classic philosophy follow this basic premise, while in modern logic, an axiom is merely a starting point of a debate.