cuisine (kwi-zeen) - food; a style of cooking

• noun

• from Latin coquina (kitchen)

• other forms:

–cuisinier (a cook or chef)

–cuisinieŕe (a female cook or chef)

debonair (deb-uh-nair ) suave, charming, lighthearted

• adjective

• from French de bon aire (from good air, of good nature)

• also spelled debonaire

• originally meant gentle or courteous

• synonym: nonchalant

decanter (di-kan-ter ) a vessel used to receive liquid poured

from another

• noun

• from Greek kanthos (corner of the eye)

• verb: to decant (to pour from one container to another)

• related to canteen a cloth-covered bottle used for carrying liquids

deciduous (di-sij-oo-uhs ) shedding at a certain stage

• adjective

• from Latin de (from) plus cadere (to fall)

• usually refers to trees or shrubs that shed leaves in the fall, but may also refer to other things (deciduous teeth, deciduous hair of animals)

• maples, oaks, and elms are all deciduous trees

Amount vs. number • This is similar to the “fewer vs. less” rule • Use “number” if you can count what you are talking

about: I need to know the number of people who want ice cream

with their cake. • Use “amount” if you can’t count what you are talking

about: I thought this amount of ice cream would be enough. • Which are correct?

– The family only ate a small number of hamburgers. – The family only ate a small amount of hamburgers. – The amount of ground beef that we used was crazy. – The chef cooked the amount of food that we ordered. – The chef cooked the number of omelets we ordered.

demagogue (dem-uh-gog)a leader who promised things to people to

gain power • from Greek demos (people) and agogos (leader)

• can also be spelled demagog

• this term originally referred to someone who championed the cause of the common people; however, now the term is derogatory

• Adolf Hitler (Germany) and Juan Peron (Argentina) are considered to be demagogues

dexterous (dek-struhs) skillful; clever; expert

• adjective

• from Greek dexios (situated on the right)

• also spelled dextrous

• may refer to physical and mental skills; may also refer to objects, such as a dexterous machine –one that performs sophisticated operations

disheveled (di-shev-uhld ) untidy

• from Latin capillus (hair)

• also spelled dishevelled

• verb form: dishevel (to throw in to disorder)

• synonyms: mussed, rumpled, disordered

• antonyms: neat, trim, orderly

dormant (door-muhnt ) sleeping;

inactive

• from Sanskrit drati (he sleeps)

• implicates a temporary state of inactivity;

can be used to refer to plant parts before

they develop, such as tulip bulbs in winter

• antonym: rampant (active)

• synonyms: sluggish, relaxed, lethargic

dulcet (duhl-sit ) – sweet, melodious; soothing

• From Latin dulcis (sweet)

• Can refer to things sweet to the taste, things soothing to the ear, or things generally agreeable, such as dulcet weather

• Verb form: to dulcify (to make sweet)

• 10th word! Quiz is next!