This section serves to expand your regular vocabulary. What separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls, if you want to equalize things) is v o c a b u l a r y. We cannot stress this point enough. People who have a larger vocabulary have been shown to make more money and get promoted more often.

I

i.e.

A abbreviation for the Latin term “id est”, which means “that is”. We at PLiNTH & CHiNTZ probably over use this term, but we can’t help it. At least we can admit we have a problem.

Example: In the State of Texas, the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners requires interior designers to complete eight hours of meaningful continuing education every year, i.e. topics pertaining to health, safety and welfare issues.

importune

(pronounced ehm-per-TOON)

Don’t confuse this word with “inopportune” because they are two completely different meanings. Importune is a verb that means to annoy, bother or trouble, usually in a demanding or urgent way. You can also use the work in its adjective form – importunate. Don’t confuse this one with “unfortunate.” Importunate means pressingly troublesome.

Example: Everything seems to be going wrong that day, and the architect wondered if every client she had was in conspiracy to importune her with their unfounded concerns.

impudent

(pronounced IM-pyu-dent)

We decided to include this word because of a real-life incident that happened to a friend of ours recently. Said friend exclaimed to a young co-worker, who didn’t understand that he was on the verge of being fired, “Well, if you hadn’t been so impudent with the boss the other day, maybe you wouldn’t be in this situation.” Puzzled, the ignorant co-worked asked, “What’s impudent mean?” Well, if you haven’t already figured it out from the context, it means being audaciously cocky, contemptuous (“I hold you in contempt of this court, sir!”), or disregarding others’ feelings and opinions. Hmmm… maybe now he can understand why he was walking on thin ice.

Example: William’s impudent nature sprang from his distrust of authority, and this attitude resulted in his being passed over for yet another project architect promotion.

impunity

(pronounced im-PYU-neh-tee)

There are so many “i” words that it’s easy to get them confused, and this one is no exception. It’s meaning is similar to immunity in that it means exemption or freedom from harm, punishment, or loss. In a legal sense, it means not being punished for a crime or misdemeanor committed, but we hope you never get yourself in that situation.

Example: Jack, the architect intern, had such an inflated ego that he wrongly assumed that he could insult his new employers with impunity.

incipient

(pronounced ihn-SIHP-ee-ehnt)

In the beginning there was the word incipient. What we are trying to say is that incipient means in the preliminary stages or starting to come into being.

Example: Though the mixed-use development project was merely in the incipient stages, Josey and her team were already spending a quarter of their billable hours on it.

inculcate

(pronounced IN-kuhl-kayt)

This strong verb means to teach, infuse or ingrain a concept or habit by repetition and admonition.

Example: Judy did everything she could think of to inculcate her juniors and seniors with rules of workplace etiquette since she often received feedback from the professionals who hosted her interior design program’s internships that most students had difficulty conducting themselves around co-workers and clients.

indelible

(pronounced in-DEL-a-bull)

We just think this adjective is a lovely word, and you frequently hear it in its adverb form: indelibly. It means memorable, lasting, unforgettable, and is applied to describe something that cannot be erased or removed. It can be applied to the tangible (physical marks) or to the intangible (memories).

Example: Though he had been retired for five years, the facilities manager’s visionary planning had left an indelible impression on the company’s corporate culture.

indubitable

(pronounced ihn-DU-beh-the-behl)

This multisyllabic adjective is simply fun to pronounce, and we dare you to say it out loud without grinning afterwards. But what does it mean? Undeniable, unquestionable, and undisputable – i.e., without a doubt.

Example: Jackson took his failing grade in Organic Chemistry as an indubitable sign that it was time to abandon his parents’ dreams of his becoming a doctor and pursue his true passion: interior design.

inertia

(pronounced ih-NER-shuh)

Most of us think of science class when we hear the word inertia since we probably first heard it when learning about Newton’s First Law of Motion: “The velocity of a body remains constant unless the body is acted upon by an external force.” In other words, if an object is cruising at a particular speed or sitting stock still, it’s going to remain that way until something else shakes things up. The same can be said about something intangible – i.e., a process, an attitude, a career path, etc. – in that those controlling it could have reluctance to change its course.

Example: After getting reamed out for the fifth time in as many days by his unstable boss, Gianni conquered the inertia that had gripped him for over two years and resigned.

inexorable

(pronounced IN-eks-er-eh-bul)

If you are inexorable, then you are steadfast, immovable, relentless in your actions or opinion, and not to be persuaded to stray off course. It’s a strong word, no?

Example: Jacqueline led the pack of students at her university’s interior design program because she possessed an inexorable determination to set herself apart, land a plum position upon graduation, take the NCIDQ Exam and get registered at her first opportunity, and start her own firm by age 28.

ingratiate

(pronounced in-GRAYSH-ee-ate)

This verb means gaining positive acceptance by some sort of calculated effort, and it’s commonly used with the word “with.” One way to remember this word… If you are somewhat familiar with Spanish, “gracias” means “thank you,” and each word has the g-r-a core. If you are being thanked for something, then you have somehow gained favor with them, right?

Example: Naz, the new intern architect, ingratiated himself with the local university’s design department faculty by offering tutoring to students in building construction methods.

innocuous

(pronounced ih-NAH-kyeh-wehs)

One of our favorites, this smart-sounding little word means harmless, inoffensive, not likely to produce bad feelings.

Example: Though her comments were direct and honest while delivering annual reviews to her project team members, Jessica’s pleasant tone of voice made her critical observations come across as innocuous as she had hoped.

insolent

(pronounced IN-soh-lent)

Something about this word makes us think of Bugs Bunny in an 18^th Century dual with Elmer Fudd, complete with opening glove slaps. Yes, Bugs is the king of insolent conduct, but in light-hearted way, of course! He is overbearing, proud, impudent, and boldly insultingly. That’s why Elmer hates him and we love him.

Example: Stephan was shocked by his new architect intern’s insolent behavior. Not only did the novice believe that she knew all there was to know about the practice, but she insulted the established employees on an almost hourly basis.

interpolate

(pronounced in-TER-peh-layt)

Think of interpolating as inserting estimated figures or facts. It is sort of like assuming (remember that to assume can make an ass out of u and me), but hopefully basing one’s “guess” on some sort of contextual information, especially numerical in nature.

Example: Since the facility manager would never commit to providing Martha with any employee projection figures for the departments she had been hired by the company to reconfigure for long-term growth, she was forced to interpolate, using growth history data she dragged out of the head of HR.

intersubjective

(pronounced ihn-ter-sehb-JEHK-tihv)

Objectivity has to do with perception without distortion by personal interpretations or feelings, while subjectivity deals with perception as affected by personal views, experience, or background. Thusly, intersubjectivity is a term used to describe a condition somewhere in between objectivity and subjectivity in which something is personally experienced but by more than one conscious mind.

Example: A hue labels a color by where it can be generally located on the spectrum — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet — and provides an intersubjective base from which colors can be referred.