wary; weary. To be “wary” of something is to be on one’s guard against it: cautious, watchful, and perhaps worried. E.g.: “Consumers remain wary of anthrax sent through the mail.” Stephanie Miles, “Apparel E-tailers to Spruce Up for Holidays,” Wall Street J., 6 Nov. 2001, at B6. To be “weary” is to be physically fatigued …

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wanton; reckless. In law, the word “wanton” usually denotes a greater degree of culpability than “reckless” does. A reckless person is generally fully aware of the risks and may even be trying and hoping to avoid harm. A wanton person may be risking no more harm than the reckless person, but he or she is …

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want, n. The usual sense, of course, is “something desired” or “a desire.” But “want” has a long history as a formal word meaning “lack,” especially in the phrase “for want of.” Though this sense formerly had a literary cast, today it is fairly common even in informal writing — e.g.: o “The Republican incumbent, …

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Miscellaneous Entries. variable, adj.; variant, adj.; variational; *variative. “Variable” = subject to variation; characterized by variations. “Variant” = differing in form or in details from the one named or considered, differing thus among themselves (Concise Oxford Dictionary). “Variational” = of, pertaining to, or marked or characterized by variation. *”Variative” shares the senses of “variational”; because …

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waiver. “Waiver” (= voluntary relinquishment of a right or advantage) is primarily a noun; “waver” (= to vacillate) is primarily a verb. It is a fairly common solecism to misuse “waiver” for “waver” — e.g.: o “But when the defense lawyer found out the judge was waivering [read ‘wavering’], Mr. Polanski left the country.” Caryn …

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waive. Part A: Narrowing of Sense. This word has undergone what linguists call “specialization,” its primary sense having gotten narrower with time. Originally, “waive” was just as broad as “abandon” {the fleeing thief waived the stolen goods}. But today, “waive” means “to relinquish voluntarily (something that one has the right to expect)” {the popular entertainer …

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waistband. “Waistband” is sometimes, in a gross error, written *”wasteband” — e.g.: o “The women sucked in their breath and tried to push their belly-buttons into fleshy balloons over their wastebands [read ‘waistbands’].” Rebecca Walsh, “Dancers at Fest Bare Their Bellies, Escape Daily Grind,” Salt Lake Trib., 28 Aug. 1994, at B1. o “He allegedly …

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waist; waste. Substituting “waste” for “waist” is most often a pun — e.g.: “County Is Waste-Deep in Reduction/Recycling Assistance” (headline), Tampa Trib., 9 Nov. 2008, Local News §, at 3. But not always — e.g.: o “Johnny Campbell, 22, tied a tow chain around his waste [read ‘waist’] and waded through waste-deep [read ‘waist-deep’] water …

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Miscellaneous Entries. v.; vs. Both are acceptable abbreviations of “versus,” but they differ in application: “vs.” is more common except in names of law cases, in which “v.” is the accepted abbreviation. vagina; vulva. The term “vagina” is now frequently used to denote not just the internal organ (the strict meaning), but also the external …

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vouchsafe. “Vouchsafe” ordinarily denotes “to grant something in a condescending way,” or, more neutrally, “to grant something as a special favor.” The word is often mildly sarcastic — e.g.: “Gen. Powell’s opinions, as he has been vouchsafing them, were unformed or, where formed, oddly out of date.” “America’s Son,” Nat’l Rev., 27 Nov. 1995, at …

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Vogue Words. In the mid-1990s, unnatural-looking hair dye became all the rage. Teenagers used it. Thirty-somethings used it — and applied it to their young children’s hair. Women of all ages used it. Even many middle-aged men used it. By 2001, the craze had long since spread over the globe. For example, in the summer …

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vociferous; voracious. A “vociferous” person is loud, noisy, and clamorous; a “vociferous” crowd is characterized by unrestrained yelling. A “voracious” person or animal, meanwhile, devours food ravenously; a “voracious” reader has an insatiable desire for books, magazines, and other reading materials. In short, although the two words appear similar, they apply to very different types …

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viz. “Viz.” is an abbreviation of the Latin word “videlicet” (fr. “videbere” “to see” + “licet” “it is permissible”). The English-language equivalents are “namely” and “that is,” either of which is preferable. Like its English counterparts, the Latin term signifies that what follows particularizes and explains a general statement. E.g.: o “For too long Virginia’s …

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Miscellaneous Entries. used-book store. So written, not *”used bookstore.” E.g.: “We all have this vision of the perfect used bookstore [read ‘used-book store’]: it seems to come out of a Dickens story, or maybe the film version of The Old Curiosity Shop.” Ian C. Ellis, Book Finds: How to Find, Buy, and Sell Used and …

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visit, n.; visitation. Dictionaries have long labeled these nouns synonyms, and for the most part their senses overlap. “Visitation,” for example, may denote simply the act or an instance of visiting — e.g.: “Visitation is seasonal; few guests come in winter.” Jay Clarke, “Up Close with Six Florida Islands,” Chicago Trib., 21 Jan. 2007, Travel …

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visible; visual. “Visible” means “capable of being seen; perceptible to the eye.” “Visual” means “of or relating to vision or sight.” Thus, the phrase for a blind or nearly blind person is “visually impaired,” not *”visibly impaired,” which is something of a malapropism — e.g.: o “Lyons also hopes to exhibit a sensory garden in …

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vis-à-vis. “Vis-à-vis” (lit., “face to face”) is a multihued preposition and adverb in place of which a more precise term is often better. The traditional sense is adverbial, “in a position facing each other.” But the word is most often figurative. And as a preposition, “vis-à-vis” has been extended to the senses “opposite to; in …

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