(pronounced bih-SEECH) People know you are serious when you use the word beseech, as it means to beg or implore for something anxiously, urgently or expressively. Example: Right before lunch, Jefferson, the project lead on the firm’s new clinic remodel, beseeched

(pronounced bih-SPEEK) This is the kind of word you expect to see in Old English texts or your collection of Shakespearian classics, but the word is built for the modern world too. Though it can be used in several

(pronounced bet NWAHR) The literal French translation: black beast. Sounds scary. The way the English-speaking world uses the term is a little less creepy: a person or thing (not necessarily tangible) that you want to avoid because it

(pronounced BEH-vee) Such a funny, happy little word to represent a large group or collective set of something. Example: A bevy of interior design students from the city’s local program eagerly listed to Jackson while he toured them around

(pronounced blIth) We love this word. On the one hand, it means lighthearted, merry, and carefree in disposition or character — a positive, to be sure. On the other hand, it takes on a more negative bent as it

(pronounced bahn-vee-VAHNT) This fun, cheerful word is French (“But, of course!” said in an over-the-top accent), and it literally means “good liver.” Not in the organ sense, but in the sense of one who lives well. More distinctively, it

(pronounced beh-NAN-zuh) If you were born prior to 1973, then the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this word is probably Example: Jennifer’s long-time friendship with her junior high soccer teammate miraculously ended up being a

(pronounced boon) A tiny, to-the-point word that means a blessing, opportune benefit, or favor. Example: Rachelle’s receiving the grant funding for her research in the area of healthcare design was a significant boon not only to her, but to the

(pronounced BREE-oh) A peppy noun with Italian ancestry that denotes the three Vs: vivaciousness, verve, and enthusiastic vigor. Capiche? Example: Danny’s brio usually motivated the others in his studio, but after two all-nighters dedicated to finishing up the over-wrought construction

(pronounced see-vee) Stands for “Curriculum Vitae” (pronounced kur-RIK-u-lum VEE-tie or kur-RIK-u-lum VI-tee). Another term for a résumé. In other words, a summary of one's career and job qualifications. You hear this term used more in Europe than in the