Gingerly: very cautious or careful [origin unknown, perhaps from ginger] Richard’s guests were amused by his cat’s gingerly walk along the backyard fence.

Bland: smooth and soothing; not irritating; dull; insipid [from Latin blandus, smooth-tongued, flattering] Kevin stuck to a bland diet of white rice and broth while his damaged stomach lining healed.

Savory: pleasant to the mind or taste [from Latin sapor, taste < from sapere, to taste, to have good taste, to be wise] Neda’s couscous was so savory that her gluttonous guest couldn’t help eating three servings.

Insipid: lacking taste; lacking in qualities that interest; dull [from Latin insipidus < from in, not, without + sapor, taste, elegance] To keep her corn chowder from being insipid, Christy always added plenty of onion and pepper.

Sensual: relating to the gratification of the senses or appetite [from Latin sensualis < from sensus, sense, feeling] Kim’s candy dish was always full of dark chocolate and other sensual delights.

Insatiable: incapable of being satisfied; quenchless [from Latin insatiabilis < from in, not + satiare, to satisfy < from satis, enough] When it came to carrot cake, Mitchell was insatiable; he simply couldn’t get enough.

Assiduous: marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application [from Latin adsiduus, constantly in attendance < from adsidere, to sit down] Karen was an assiduous runner; she never failed to jog at least five kilometers daily.

Inert: lacking the power to move; very slow to move or act [from Latin iners, unskilled, inactive < from in, not, without + ars, skill] Vicci was so drained from her bout with the flu that she lay inert in front of the TV, unable to switch off the Teletubbies.

Ornate: elaborately decorated [from Latin ornare, to decorate, embellish < from ordo, order, rank, class] The ornate furnishings of Versailles never fail to impress the tourists.

Austere: stern and cold in appearance [from Latin austerus, strict, rigid < from Greek austeros harsh, severe, < from hauos, dry] Jeanette decorated her dorm room with posters of kittens to hide the austere cinder block walls.

Ascetic: practicing strict self-denial [from Greek asketikos, laborious < from asketes, athlete < from askein, to exercise, to drill] The ascetic youths of Sparta slept out in the open without blankets, even in winter.

Anthropomorphic: described or thought of as having a human form or human attributes [from Greek anthropos, man, human being + morphos, form, shape, appearance] The Greek gods were anthropomorphic; it is no wonder they were always fighting.

Parasitic: living in, with, or on another organism [from Greek parasitos < from para, near, beside + sitos, grain, food] Barbara checked to make sure that her cats were not covered with parasitic bugs such as fleas and ticks.

Virulent: extremely poisonous; marked by rapid or severe course [from Latin virus, poison < from Greek ios, poison] Overcome by the virulent infection, Terry had to be rushed to the hospital.

Arable: fit for the growing of crops [from Latin arare, to plow < from Greek aroun, plow] America’s vast acres of arable land ensure a steady supply of grain.

Abridge: shorten; condense [from Middle French abregier < from Late Latin abbreviare < from Latin ad, to+ brevis short] To make the dictionary pocket-sized, it was necessary to abridge it by removing the most obscure words.

Confound: confuse [from Latin confundere, pour together, mix, confuse < from Latin con, together + fundere, to pour] The students were confounded by the differential equations until their teacher had explained them again.

Endorse: write on the back of; approve [from Latin in, in, on + dorsum, back] Once the President had endorsed the candidate, his election to Congress was certain.

Deprecate: pray against; express disapproval [from Latin deprecari to avert by prayer < from de, against, away + precari, to pray] Grammarian H. W. Fowler deprecated the use of the expression “self-deprecating,” when it was obvious that “self-depreciating” was the more suitable phrase.

Exacerbate: make more violent or bitter [from Latin ex, from, out of + acerbus, bitter < from acer, sharp, stinging] The steel tariffs would only exacerbate unemployment in steel-using industries.

Prudence: ability to govern oneself by reason; skill and good judgement [from Latin prudentia < from Latin providentia, foresight < from Latin pro, ahead + videre, to see] Mario made his judgments with prudence, never allowing emotion to cloud his reasoning.

Amicably: in a friendly way [from Latin amicus, friend] Carl and Sue broke up amicably; they still hung out in the same circle of friends.

Apathy: lack of feeling or concern [from Greek a, without + pathos, emotion] Another election with low voter turnout demonstrated the apathy of the general public to politics.

Zealously: with passion [from Greek zelos, passion, jealousy] The environmentalists zealously championed the new, eco-friendly hybrid car.

Indifference: state of being unbiased or lacking interest [from Latin in, not + differens, being different < from dis, away, apart + ferre, to carry] The consumer group was concerned about the indifference of the public to the latest corporate scandal.

Amiably: in an agreeable way [from Latin amicus, friend < from amare, to love] Despite their mutual dislike, the two brothers conversed amiably at the reunion.

Antipathy: dislike [from Greek anti, against + pathos, feeling] The public’s antipathy toward new taxes brought about the defeat of the new education funding proposal.

Dispassionately: not influenced by strong feeling [from Latin dis, away from + patior, to suffer, to feel] Given the media attention surrounding the crime, it was unlikely that the accused would be tried dispassionately.

Diligence: persevering application; hard work [from Latin diligens, painstaking, careful] Roger’s diligence in studying paid off when he passed his final exam.

Assiduously: in a careful way [from Latin adsiduus, constantly in attendance, from Latin adsidere, to sit down] Karen followed her exercise plan assiduously, never failing to miss a run.

Erudite: learned [from Latin e, not + rudis, rude, ignorant] The erudite scholar was familiar with Latin and Greek, and thus aced his SAT verbal exam.

Unprecedented: novel, unexampled, without an earlier occurrence [from Latin un, not + praecedere, to go before < from prea, before + cedere, to go] Nixon’s visit to China was unprecedented; never before had an American President journeyed there.

Overt: open to view [from Vulgar Latin operire < from Latin aperire, to open, uncover] The overt Congressional hearings were complemented by further proceedings behind closed doors.

Abstruse: difficult to understand [from Latin abstrudere, to conceal < from Latin abs, away + trudere, to push] A word’s connection to its ancient roots may sometimes be abstruse, requiring the aid of dictionary.

Innate: native, inborn [from Latin in, in + nasci, to be born] Anita’s innate sense of direction is impressive; even as a child she always knew where she was.