Stentorian is an adjective that means loud or powerful in sound.

Our word of the day is one of many words that have its origin in Greek mythology. In the classic work known of The Iliad, Stentor was the herald, or bringer of news, for the Greek forces. He was noted for his loud, thunderous voice.

I had a feeling James wouldn’t work out as a kindergarten teacher. Something about his stentorian nature tends to frighten children.

Nonpereil is an adjective that means without equal. 

In French, the prefix non simply means ‘not’ and pareil means ‘equal.’ Together they refer to a person or a thing that is without equal. 

Any comparisons between this grilled cheese sandwich and any others is pointless. This grilled sandwich is simply nonpereil.

Oeuvre is a noun that means the collective works of an artist.

Oeuvre comes directly from the French word for ‘work.’ It's often used by art or movie critics when describing the entire output of an artist. 

That director’s latest film left me cold. But that doesn’t change my admiration of his oeuvre as a whole.

Vilipend is a verb that means to treat as worthless.

Vilis (VY lis) is the Latin word for worthless. When combined with pendo (PEN doe), the Latin word for ‘considered,’ we get a word that means ‘considered or treated as if it has no worth.’ 

Please don’t vilipend my friend for the mistakes he has made. In spite of his sloppy work, he is a valuable employee.

Truepenny is a noun that refers to an honest person. 

Truepenny is a portmanteau word that combines ‘true’ and ‘penny’ to give us a word for something genuine. A true penny, of course, refers to a coin that is exactly as it appears. 

I had my doubts about Erica’s agent when we first met. But after dealing with her for many years, I can see her for the true penny she is.

Taradiddle is a noun that means a petty lie. 

Jeremy Diddler was a character from an early 19th century play called Raising the Wind. From that we get the word diddle, which means to swindle. The significance of TARA added to the word is not clear, but we do know that a taradiddle is less lethal than a diddle. 

Susan’s excuse about having to work on the day I needed her help annoyed me a little, but I soon forgave her. After all, an occasional taradiddle between friends is nothing to get enraged over.

Inveigle is a verb that means to persuade by deception or flattery.

In Old French, the word aveugle (AH vug) meant ‘to blind.’ Our word of the day has a broader meaning than ‘to blind,’ but it must be remembered that to persuade someone through deception or flattery is to blind them. 

I got the feeling the salesman was trying to inveigle me into a higher price. Every time I asked about the car’s features, he would mention how much he admired my haircut.

Compunction is a noun that means guilt or remorse. 

The Latin word pungere (POON Jay ray) means ‘to prick.’ This was combined with C-O-M, a suffix that implies excessive force. That gave us compungere (com poon JAY ray) which meant ‘to prick sharply.’ It may help to think of compunction as a sharp prick or stab at one’s conscience. 

Terry was tempted to use the handicapped parking sticker he found in the parking lot, but his conscience wouldn’t let him. As he walked into the store, it occurred to him that compunction has a way of limiting his parking options.

Venial is an adjective that means slight or pardonable. 

The word venia (VEN ee uh) is Latin for forgiveness. Our word of the day is pretty much always used to refer to a sin or mistake. A venial sin is one that can be forgiven. A mortal sin, on the other hand, cannot.

The cook badly burned my pork chops last Thursday. But, as it was a venial sin, I let the matter slide.

Presentiment is a noun that means a feeling that something is about to happen.

The French word pressentiment (press SAHN tee mon) is the origin of our word of the day, which describes an intuitive feeling about the future. The word is usually used in a foreboding sense. For example: Entering the stadium, I had a presentiment about the upcoming game. I could sense that our team was going to get clobbered.