Tough Word Vocabulary Trivia Quiz

Answer: exiguity

My knowledge of many words is a bit exiguous, but I figured I'd try and tackle some of these difficult words to help expand my horizon. The word "exiguity" comes from the Latin word "exiguus," meaning "paltry." The first known use of the term came in 1604. Synonyms include leanness, meagerness, and poorness.

Answer: superannuate

It will be a long while before I am able to enjoy superannuation, but I'm sure there are many of my fellow quizzers who are reaping the benefits of retirement. The word comes from the mid-1600s and is from the Latin word "superannuatus," meaning "something that is over one year old." Synonyms include elderly, retired, and pensioned.

Answer: opaque

As I am writing this, I am looking outside and look up and see that the sky is rather opaque. The word originally comes from the Latin word "opacus," meaning "darkened." Synonyms include blurred, dirty, and smeared. Antonyms include clear, accessible, and nonambiguous.

Answer: guimpe

I think I would look rather ridiculous if I were to ever put on a guimpe. Guimpes were first designed in Europe during medieval times. The word is of French origin, and is related to the German word "wimpel," meaning "cloth." The guimpe has not been popular since Renaissance times, although it was worn by Catholic nuns thereafter.

Answer: vamoose

Since you are done with this quiz, you should probably vamoose and play some more trivia! "Vamoose" comes from the Spanish word "vamos," meaning "let us go." Synonyms include hurry, scat, depart, and bail. In addition, William Randolph Hearst once had a yacht he named "Vamoose" which was completed in 1891.

Answer: puce

I recently painted one of the rooms in my house a color much like puce and I think I'm regretting it. Puce is a dark red or purple brown color, and the name "puce" comes from French meaning "flea." This is because when fleas were crushed on someone's bed sheets, it would leave a brownish-like color. The first time the word was used in English dates back to 1778.

Answer: patricide

Patricide is the killing of one's father. The word comes from the Latin words "patr" meaning "father," and "cida" meaning "killer." Other similar words are "matricide," which is the killing of one's mother; "fratricide," which is the killing of one's brother, and "sororicide," which the killing of one's sister. One of the most legendary examples of patricide is that of Greek mythical king, Oedipus, who unknowingly killed his father in order to marry his mother.

Answer: xanthippe

Xanthippe is a Greek word, which has a literal meaning of "yellow horse." It was also the name of the wife of the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates. The first known use of the word to mean an ill-tempered woman came in 1691. Antonyms for "xanthippe" include diva, beauty, and foxy-lady.

Answer: escarp

"Escarp" dates back to the 16th century for the French word "escarpe," meaning "slope." Its English definition is "a fortification; the inner slope or wall of the ditch surrounding a rampart." Synonyms include bluff, crag, precipice, and cliff. Many escarps are natural formations formed by erosion, such as river banks and mountain cliffs.

Answer: machinate

The word comes from the Latin word "machinatus," meaning "contrived." In the late 15th century, the French word "machinacion" was borrowed from the original Latin term. Synonyms include collude, conspire, scheme, and plot. Antonyms include neglect, disorganize, ignore, and forget.