malefactress \mal-uh-fak-tris\ Noun – a woman who violates the law or does evil Origin: 1640-50; Malefactress stems from the root malefact(o)r + -ess. Malefactor is a criminal; wrongdoer. Malefaction is the male version of malefactor and malefactress is the female version of malefactor.

empurple \em-PUR-puhl\ verb – To color or become purple or purplish. To darken or redden; flush. Origin: Empurple originated in the late 1580s from the Greek prefix em- meaning ‘to become’ and the color ‘purple,’ a word of Tyrian descent for the shellfish from which purple dye was made.

rime \RAHYM\ noun – A coating of tiny, white, granular ice particles, caused by the rapid freezing of water droplets. Origin: Rime, also known as hoarfrost, comes from the Old English hrim. Used mainly in Northern England and Scotland for centuries, it was revived in literature in the 19th century.

fainaigue \fuh-NEYG\ verb – To shirk; evade work or responsibility. To renege at cards. Origin: Fainaigue stems from British dialect, but its exact origins are unclear. Whether or not it has a relationship to finagle is a source of debate.

effervescent \ef-er-VES-uhnt\ adjective – High-spirited; vivacious; lively. Effervescing; bubbling. Origin: Effervescent originated as a French verb in the 1650s meaning, ‘the action of boiling up’ (as in water), though it did not assume its figurative meaning relating to personality until 1748.

flippant \fli-pənt\ adjective – Glib, talkative. Lacking proper respect or seriousness. Origin: Probably from flip.

crevice \ˈkre-vəs\ noun – a narrow opening resulting from a split or crack (as in a cliff). Origin: Middle English, from Anglo-French crevace, from crever to break, from Latin crepare to crack.

svelte \SFELT\ adjective – Slender, especially gracefully slender in figure. Suave; blandly urbane. Origin: Svelte enters English in 1800s from the French, and originally derives from the Latin verb exvellere, “to stretch out.”

ogle \OH-guhl\ verb – To look at amorously, flirtatiously, or impertinently. To eye; look or stare at. Origin: Ogle traces its origins from the Lower German oeglen, “to look at,” but ultimately comes from a now extinct word for “eye,” oog.

disbosom \dis-BOOZ-uhm\ verb – To reveal; confess. Origin: Disbosom comes from the ancient word bosom, which possibly goes back to the roots of the Indo-European languages. Bosom can mean “breast; womb; surface; or ship’s hold.” The first recorded use of disbosom is in the 18th century.