verb diss-KUM-fit
Definition: To discomfit someone is to make them confused or upset.
British vs. American English:
The word "discomfit" is more commonly used in British English than in American English. However, it's
recognized and understood in both dialects.
adjective vye-KAIR-ee-us
Definition: A vicarious emotion or experience is one felt by watching, hearing about, or reading
about someone else rather than by doing something yourself.
Empathy vs. Sympathy: "Vicarious" is often associated with empathy, which involves
understanding and sharing someone else's feelings. However, it can also relate to sympathy, which involves
feeling sorry for someone else's misfortune.
Word Family Quiz: Fill in the blanks to complete a word that comes from the Latin noun
vicis and that refers to the quality or state of being changeable: v _ c i _ _ i _ _ d e.
noun EE-jus
Definition: Aegis is a formal word that refers to the power to protect, control, or support
something or someone. It is often used in the phrase under the aegis of.
Did you know? English borrowed aegis from Latin, but the word ultimately comes from the
Greek noun aigís, meaning “goatskin.” In ancient Greek mythology, an aegis was something that offered
physical protection. It has been depicted in various ways, including as a magical protective cloak made from
the skin of the goat that suckled Zeus as an infant, and as a shield fashioned by Hephaestus that bore the
severed head of the Gorgon Medusa. The word first entered English in the 15th century as a noun referring to
the shield or breastplate associated with Zeus or Athena. It later took on a more general sense of
“protection” and, by the late-19th century, it had acquired the extended senses of “auspices” and
“sponsorship.”
Name That Synonym: Fill in the blanks to complete a synonym of aegis that refers to a
guiding influence: t _ _ e l a _ e.